Beleaguered Baltimore Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa resigned on Tuesday after just 116 days on the job amid a scandal revolving around unpaid federal taxes.

De Sousa was the third person to hold the $210,000-a-year post over the last three years and the ninth since 2000. His three federal misdemeanor charges are the latest embarrassment to rock the embattled Baltimore force.

'Law enforcement needs to follow the law. It is critically important that the citizens of Baltimore have complete faith in their police department. I am deeply disappointed by Mr. De Sousa's actions that leave us in this place,' City Councilman Zeke Cohen said.

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He's out: Baltimore Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa (pictured on May 9) resigned on Tuesday after just 116 days on the job amid a scandal revolving around unpaid federal taxes

It's official: A press release from the office of Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh announcing De Sousa's resignation, which the mayor accepted

De Sousa's resignation was announced by Mayor Catherine Pugh, who said she accepted it.

She picked him as the city's commissioner in January, portraying the 30-year veteran Baltimore police commander as the right person to lead the force as the violent crime rate continued to soar. The City Council nearly unanimously authorized De Sousa in February.

'I want to reassure all Baltimoreans that this development in no way alters our strategic efforts to reduce crime by addressing its root causes in our most neglected neighborhoods,' said Pugh, who fired De Sousa's predecessor, Kevin Davis, in January after roughly two-and-a-half years on the job.

Temporary replacement: Deputy Commissioner Gary Tuggle was named as acting commissioner on Friday

Baltimore's mayor said she has started a national search to find his successor. In the meantime, the police force is being led by Deputy Commissioner Gary Tuggle. He was named as acting leader Friday.

The US Attorney's office on Thursday charged De Sousa with three misdemeanor counts of failure to file federal taxes, claiming that Baltimore's top cop 'willfully failed to file a federal return for tax years 2013, 2014, and 2015, despite having been a salaried employee of the Baltimore Police Department in each of those years.'

If the charges are proven, De Sousa faces up to one year in prison and a combined fine of $75,000.

De Sousa could not immediately be reached Tuesday and the police department's communications team offered no immediate comment. His attorney, Steven Silverman, said he did not wish to comment.

But De Sousa's twin brother, Jason, described his brother's resignation as 'a loss for Baltimore City.'

'This is not the end. He has a very bright future, he's very talented. He's an intellect and he's a great leader,' he said, adding that his brother was taking care of his parents, who had Alzheimer's, during the period when he didn't file his taxes.

De Sousa has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of failure to file taxes for tax years 2013, 2014, and 2015

Apology: In his statement addressing the charges, De Sousa portrayed his failure to file taxes as an oversight

Video courtesy WJZ:

De Sousa issued an apology on Twitter last week, but portrayed it as an oversight. He said he filed his 2016 taxes and got an extension for 2017, and is now working with a 'registered tax adviser.'

'While there is no excuse for my failure to fulfill my obligations as a citizen and public official, my only explanation is that I failed to sufficiently prioritize my personal affairs. Naturally, this is a source of embarrassment for me and I deeply regret any embarrassment it has caused the police department and the city of Baltimore,' he said.

As pressure mounted on De Sousa and City Hall, his resignation appeared to be the only viable path for him as he faced charges in the ongoing case. Pugh initially said she had 'full confidence' in De Sousa, but a day later tapped Tuggle for interim leader.

The city's police union, which applauded De Sousa's promotion earlier this year, said it was 'anxious to put these events behind us' and hoped Pugh would find a suitable replacement fast. 'Our members deserve consistency in their leadership,' said Gene Ryan, union president.

Some prominent activists portrayed the federal case against De Sousa as a potent sign that Baltimore's leaders don't know what they are doing.

De Sousa, a 30-year veteran on the force, rose through the ranks to become commissioner following what Pugh described as a 'complete' vetting process that included a review of shootings he was involved in 23 years ago.

On Friday, Delegate Luke Clippinger, a Democrat, said it was a major problem if De Sousa had failed to voluntarily disclose his tax issues before accepting the job.

'It goes directly to his credibility as a police officer, much less as Commissioner, that he took the job knowing he was in violation of federal law,' Clippinger told the Baltimore Sun. 'It was a willful omission of a material fact as he applied for a job that demands the public’s trust.'

De Sousa's predecessor, Kevin Davis (pictured), was fired after less than three years amid a soaring homicide rate in Baltimore

De Sousa was touted as a change agent when Pugh picked him as commissioner. He succeeded former Commissioner Davis, who was fired less than three years into his tenure amid a rising homicide rate.

At the time, Pugh said the leadership change was needed to oversee crime reduction strategies given the city's eye-popping violent crime rate.

There were 340 homicides in Baltimore in 2017, making it the deadliest year in more than two decades.

De Sousa pledged to stamp out police corruption following an explosive federal investigation that exposed a task force of dirty detectives, lowering moral and deepening a deficit in public trust.

The 53-year-old commander has since launched an anti-corruption unit and introduced plans for random integrity and polygraph testing.

He also vowed to comply fully with a federal consent decree authorized in January 2017 after the US Justice Department released a scathing report detailing longstanding patterns of racial profiling and excessive use of force against citizens.

The Justice Department began investigating the Baltimore police following the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray, a young black man who was fatally injured in the custody of officers, leading to massive protests and riots.

In February, Baltimore's spending panel unanimously voted to approve De Sousa's four-year contract, which includes an annual salary of $210,000, plus a $150,000 severance clause if the commissioner is fired without cause.