WASHINGTON, May 3 — The mayor of the troubled eastern US city of Baltimore, who is facing allegations of corruption over sales of her self-published children's books to companies with ties to state and local government, resigned yesterday, her lawyer announced.

Catherine Pugh, a Democrat who was elected in 2016, had faced mounting calls to step down.

The FBI raided her two homes and city hall last week, though no criminal charges have been filed.

"I am sorry for the harm that I have caused to the image of the city of Baltimore and the credibility of the office of the mayor,” Pugh said in a statement read by her lawyer, Steven Silverman.

"Baltimore deserves a mayor who can move our great city forward.”

Pugh came under fire for "self-dealing” after revelations that the University of Maryland Medical System spent US$500,000 (RM2.07 million) to buy 100,000 copies of her Healthy Holly children's books, which she wrote while serving as a member of the hospital system's board.

Pugh later resigned the board post and returned US$100,000.

The 69-year-old went on sick leave on April 1 as the pressure mounted and calls for her resignation intensified.

The president of the city council, Bernard Young, who had been serving as mayor in an acting capacity, will complete Pugh's term, which ends in 2020.

Baltimore, a city of some 600,000, is grappling with a soaring crime rate, racial unrest and poverty levels that are among the highest in the country.

Pugh's election came one year after riots shook Baltimore following the death of a young black man, Freddie Gray, who fell into a coma while in police custody. — AFP