Baltimore, Maryland - Federal agents arrested seven Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) officers today for a racketeering conspiracy and racketeering offenses, including robbery, extortion, and overtime fraud. "The bad outweighed the good.". In total, the GTTF is believed to have stolen at least $300,000, 43 pounds of marijuana, 800 grams of heroin, three kilos of cocaine, and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. and Rayam all agreed to cooperate with the (DOJ) and testified against Hersl and Taylor. Baltimore police officers accused of rampant crime and corruption Feb. 9, 2018 04:35. Baltimore residents tell federal judge they're all for police reform. One of the culprits that emerges from the book is the war on drugs itself. He was talking about robbing them, Hendrix replied. Mr. At the same time, the cops who are called on to keep order frequently behave like a callous, occupying force, and, all too often, the money corrupts them, too. Ive got an entire pharmacy, the sergeant told Stepp. He testified under oath that he witnessed Yusuf Smith toss a handgun while running from officers on the Alameda in May 2018. Rayam had admitted to crimes dating back to 2009. Meanwhile, the disputes that inevitably erupt between dealers, and the desperation of people addicted to drugs, help feed the violence that plagues Baltimores most vulnerable communities. His release date is in 2025. Instead, they became hunters.. File Photo: Police form a line to block North Ave., near the site of recent riots and several blocks away from where Freddie Gray was arrested last month, May 4, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The two others Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylorpleaded not guilty and were convicted in 2018. In February, former Baltimore police detective Momodu Gondo was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for racketeering and conspiracy to distribute heroin, winning a reduced sentence after cooperating with the federal government. BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A federal judge handed down lengthy prison sentences Thursday to two former Baltimore City Police . All charges against Dotson were dropped, while Newberg is out on bond pending trial on the old and new charges. At the time, the officers maintained that their activities were all in furtherance of legitimate police activity in an effort to develop sources to lead to arrests of drug distributors, said prosecutors, adding the officers claimed they used their ill-gotten money to pay informants who could help them catch those higher up in the drug gangs. Evodio Calles Hendrix, 32, of . Windows 11 update brings Bings chatbot to the desktop, Chinese state media calls out Elon Musk over coronavirus tweet, The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood, We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops, and Corruption. Baltimore Police. Amid soaring crime and distrust in law enforcement, the unit played both cops and robbers, said lead federal prosecutor Leo Wise. In a one-on-one interview this week, the commissioner told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren he is committed to reform. The officers charged in the racketeering indictment are: Det. They were supposed to be sentinels guarding this city from people who break the law, Wise told the jury in closing arguments last week, CNN affiliate WBAL-TV reported. The items were shown to the jury. The remaining officers involved received sentences ranging from seven years to 12 years. We Own This City, an HBO Max miniseries out April 25, about a Baltimore Police Department (BPD) task force unit that went rogue, highlights some of the biggest concerns with modern policing in America. O n a humid summer day in 2004, Davon Mayer stepped out of his house on Bennett Place in the heart of Baltimore.Sixteen years old, Davon was short, plump and baby-faced, still more of a kid than . Henrietta Middleton and faces up to 10 years in prison. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. As they saw it, they were victimizing criminals who would not dare talk to authorities. He also stuck a gun in a womans face during a separate break-in incident in which guns, drugs, cash and jewelry were taken. While 20 years is still a significant term of imprisonment, it provides Mr. King with some hope of once again becoming a productive member of society.. He wanted to meet me every week, like some kind of extortion, to know who I was dealing with and to give him money.. Body camera footage from the first arrest shows Newberg charging towards Dotson, who reacted by saying: Im not running away. A second officer tackled Dotson to the ground while the man shouted he was exercising his right to free speech, the tape showed. Sgt. Vignola, a 12-year veteran, was the 14th person caught in the massive police sweeping corruption scandal. During their testimony, officers also admitted to putting illegal tracking devices on the cars of suspected drug dealers so they could rob their homes and sell any guns or drugs they found. He is serving the harshest sentence: 25 years in a Kentucky prison. Under the cover of their badges, the officers sold seized guns and drugs on the streets, ripped off narcotics dealers and locked up innocent people. This article was published more than3 years ago. Be informed of breaking news as it happens and notified about other don't-miss content with our free news alerts. One could be excused for wondering whether there is any more to say about Baltimore and crime. Federal agents found unregistered assault rifles, cocaine residue and razors in his home. Both got 18-year sentences. >> WE DID NOT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND TO MAKE SURE AND CHECK IN CHECKING THAT THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE SWORN TO PROTECT AND SERVE HADNT TURNED THEMSELVES IN THE BIGGEST GANG IN BALTIMORE. Initial reports that a man had been shot by police sparked anger in the crowd. And more officers tied to the Gun Trace Task Force were charged or sentenced in federal court. Heilman, 27, was fired from the department in 2018 after passersby saw him found slumped over in his car in the early afternoon in Pigtown. A jury also found Taylor guilty for his role in several robberies involving other members of the squad, including an incident where the officers stole over $100,000 from a high-level drug trafficker's safe. Vignola faces sentencing ranging from probation to five years in federal prison and is no longer with the department. Gaff ordered a male passenger out of a vehicle in South Baltimore and pushed and hit the man when he failed to show his identification, according to prosecutors. Rayam admitted that he'd been stealing money long before he joined the Gun Trace Task Force, as early as 2009. Gun Trace Task Force fallout: Jemell Rayam. Gaff was found guilty of misconduct while in office but found not guilty for second-degree assault. Any of you, my mother, my father" he told the jury. On Thursday, Feb. 23, Baltimore police were able to locate and arrest Julius Tyrone Johnson for the June 2022 death of 32-year-old Donald White. Watch. A man named Ronald Hamilton testified that his car was stopped in 2016 by task force members, the station reported. Former police commissioner Darryl De Sousa was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison in New Jersey after pleading guilty in April to failing to file federal tax returns. They specifically tracked one member, Momodu Gondo, who was believed to be working with drug dealers and possibly helping them circumvent drug charges. A total of 305 officers were flagged in Mosbys list that was forwarded to the department this month. According to trial testimony, after robbing a high-level drug dealer, Jenkins listened to the man's phone calls to his wife from jail, telling her to hire a lawyer. We will investigate bad policing or criminal policing Officers will be indicted and theyll be brought into court and theyll be held accountable.. The victim, Dashawn McGrier, suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs and other ailments while spending three days in a hospital. Det. In one case described at the trial, Jenkins directed his men to break open a safe containing over $200,000 (144,500). Officer Michael OSullivan was sentenced to 15 months in prison on Dec. 4 for perjury and misconduct in office. For the series of police commissioners and mayors that Baltimore went through during the units crime spree, those statistics offered a good enough proxy for progress. They did not worry about being reported for stealing drugs, stacks of cash or expensive watches. Police said protesters threw rocks and water bottles at police. "We waited so long for justice. Gun Trace Task Force fallout: Carmine Vignola. Rivera-Martinez, 32, was found guilty by a Baltimore City Circuit Court jury for beating Melvin Townes, then 16, in the face and head repeatedly with his stun gun after chasing him on North Gay Street about 2 a.m. on July 5, 2016. "This is a relief, yes," Johnson said. "It could have been any of us. Henrietta Middleton outside of a strip club in August 2018. Rivera-Martinez had continuously hit the teen with his taser despite Townes stopping, turning around, kneeling and putting his hands in the air. But most of the cops on the task force turned out to be every bit as gangster as the drug dealers and other criminals they were pursuing. Jenkins is expected to be released in 2038. In one instance, revealed in court, officers took someones house keys, found out where that person lived and stole $100,000 from a safe in the house. However, after clearing the scene, the officer stole drugs from the pharmacy, gave them to a drug dealer, and split the profits from the dealers sale of them. Maurice Ward and Evodio Hendrix both got seven-year prison sentences. Pitocchelli was then recently assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division where she earned an annual base salary in 2018 of $87,000, and a total of $198,000 with overtime, according city salary records. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. pic.twitter.com/TB2fEMv9aK. Vignola was not a member of the task force but was accused by prosecutors of planting the gun to justify a wrongful arrest by the squads leader. Middletons charges were dropped eight months after the 2018 incident. The former leader of the Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force who admitted to taking part in a number of crimes has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. city agreed to a consent decree on sweeping police reforms. A total of 305 officers were flagged in Mosbys list that was forwarded to the department this month. If anyone ran, the officers would chase after them. Gaff was hired by the department in 2013. Instead, its members were. You have reached your limit of free articles. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Gladstone faces up to 10 years in federal prison. According to Allers' plea agreement, the man was later shot and killed by another man because he could not repay a drug-related debt. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Jenkins pleaded guilty to regularly stealing drugs from the people he stopped or arrested. "He was much more interested in having a movie producer come in and sit with us during the interview. The men received $8 million in restitution, and some of the officers involved in the task force have been convicted in federal court on various charges.The family of Davis and Cain filed a lawsuit claiming civil rights violations, and the trial was set for May. Sergeant Wayne. Barry Simms. But perhaps the officers most insidious crime was how they helped undermine confidence in a police force in dire need of much more citizen cooperation. When he was indicted, Rivera-Martinez was suspended without pay. Shop Our Favorite February Amazon Deals Before the Sales End, The 14 Best Mineral Sunscreens of 2023, According to Pros, 14 TikTok-Famous Cleaning Products That Actually Work, According to Our Experts, 14 Best Healthier Candy Alternatives of 2023, According to Taste Tests. Wayne Jenkins once showed squad members a grappling hook with a rope, sledgehammer, machete, masks and other items he kept in his patrol car while on duty. Where are the disgraced Gun Trace Task Force officers now? The men received $8 million in restitution, and some of the officers involved in the task force have been convicted in federal court on various charges. Sgt. Detective Kevin Brown, currently suspended, was charged with driving under the influence in August. The scope of the crimes and allegations are broad and follow a particularly notorious 2018, which included federal arrests and trials of officers of the GTTF, and another officer charged with drug trafficking. Some was known by the police department and the department was incapable of taking care of its own business, said Michael Bromwich, who led the independent investigation. A Baltimore police officer caught on tape last year beating a suspect went to prison this year. Retired Baltimore Police Sgt. This article was published more than1 year ago. All Rights Reserved. He also admitted planting 28g of heroin on a man who was then sent to prison. Baltimore City police told 11 News its officers started pursuing a car around 5 p.m . 2. Middleton was originally charged with assault, but charges were dropped. The extent of the GTTF's reign of terror on the city of Baltimore became more widely known in 2017, when eight members of the unit were indicted on charges of extortion, robbery, racketeering,. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. (Kenneth K. Lam). He told the jury that Jenkins instructed them to carry BB-guns in their police cars "in case you need to get yourself out of a situation" like shooting an unarmed suspect. 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He resigned four months later amid the tax charges. For good measure, some cops in the unit stole scads of overtime from the city, at times even collecting it while they were on vacation. Gondo admitted he routinely stole cash from people's homes when given the opportunity, and split the take with his fellow officers. THEY NEEDED TO STAND UP FOR THEIR PARENTS. After some of the tea hit Gentils car, he pulled a gun out and ordered Miller to get face down on the pavement. Hersl, Taylor and the other officers carried out brazen crimes at a time of strained community relations, following the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. The GTTF Scandal. A 41-year-old Baltimore man believed to be responsible for a 2022 homicide has been arrested, police say. Stolen drugs were regularly delivered to Stepps home, he said, where they were stashed before being resold on the street. Burley's vehicle struck another, killing 86-year-old Elbert Davis in 2010. The U.S. Attorneys Office agreed that the sentences should be reduced, but to 30 years for Murray, and 65 years for King. Instead of getting rid of crime, police officers in the GTTF engaged in it, against the communities they were supposed to serve. Written by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton, the book tells the incredible tale of the corrupt Gun Trace Task Force, an elite plainclothes unit of the Baltimore Police Department tasked with getting guns and drugs off the streets. 'Despicable acts' at rogue US police unit, Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Among the many striking revelations in the book is how casual the officers were about their crimes. After the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore in 2015, all eyes were on the police officers accused of causing the fatal spinal injury Gray suffered while in police custody, and on the prosecutor . Gondo, Ward, Hendrix. And more officers tied to the Gun Trace Task Force were charged or sentenced in federal court. Taylor was not involved in that incident, according to the criminal complaint. Former officer Aaron Heilman reached a plea agreement for misconduct in office and drunk-driving charges. The scandal broke at a time of struggle and high tensions between Baltimore community members and the police department. Marlon Koushall arrested fellow officer Sgt. He was investigated for an $11,000 theft that year. Rayam was investigated for theft of $11,000 from a man that year. Prosecutors tried to show that squad members targeted casinos for people to rob. They later realised they had taken the trash from the wrong house, but wrote up a fraudulent search warrant anyway. Baltimore City officials agreed to pay $6 million to the family of Elbert Davis Sr. who was killed in 2010 during a high-speed car chase that involved the Gun Trace Task Force, a notorious unit of the Baltimore City Police Department, that lied to officials and robbed citizens. Police Commissioner Michael Harrison released a staffing plan earlier in December that calls for more than doubling the number of internal affairs detectives to help reduce backlogs and respond more swiftly to complaints against officers. Henon must . The list of officers below includes some who were charged last year but not tried or have reached plea deals until this year. VideoAt the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece, How fake copyright complaints are muzzling journalists, How 10% of Nigerian registered voters delivered victory, Sake brewers toast big rise in global sales, The Indian-American CEO who wants to be US president, Blackpink lead top stars back on the road in Asia, Exploring the rigging claims in Nigeria's elections, 'Wales is in England' gaffe sparks TikToker's trip. April 29, 2022 / 11:30 PM NOW IT HAS JUSTICE. Leader Of Corrupt Baltimore PD Task Force Sentenced To 25 Years Behind Bars. Prosecutors obtained text messages that showed conversations between Snell and family members dating back to 2014. While committing a different masked home invasion with Officer Momodu Gondo, Rayam was surprised by a woman in the home and held her at gunpoint with his police-issued firearm. Both were later exonerated once it was revealed GTTF members planted the drugs and falsified reports. Its Time to Radically Rethink Public Safety. He was later dismissed from the department. We can do this three times a year.". Baltimore Police Detective Carmine Vignola pleaded guilty in September for lying to a federal grand jury, admitting that he helped retrieve a BB gun to plant and cover up for the leader of the corrupt Gun Trace Task Force. Discovery Company. FOX45. Where are they now? Nor did they worry much about ramming their cars into suspects vehicles, or rolling up on people and roughly questioning them without probable cause. Snell, 34, worked in the Baltimore Police Department from 2005 to 2008 and was an officer in Philadelphia at the time he was arrested. Veteran former Baltimore police officer Michael Gentil was sentenced to five years in prison for drawing a gun on a person who threw tea on his car while he was off-duty on Edison Highway in East Baltimore. Now, with the settlement, family members told 11 News they've received justice. Gondo admitted that he provided information and protection to a heroin operation, which included a childhood friend. Rayam at one point gave guns and police uniforms to friends and had them break into a home where Rayam was aware of $20,000 being inside. After Jenkins' arrest, federal agents found a huge cache of tools and weapons including brass knuckles, an 18-inch (46cm) machete, a sledgehammer, a grappling hook and several black masks which his former subordinate officers testified he intended to use for home invasions. Eight members of the nine-person squad ended up going to federal prison after being convicted on corruption charges. GTTF members were tasked with finding and removing guns from the streets of Baltimore. The list of officers includes some who were charged last year but not tried or have reached plea deals until this year. He also stuck a gun in a womans face during a separate break-in in which guns, drugs, cash and jewelry were taken. He was later dismissed from the department. He testified under oath that he witnessed Yusuf Smith toss a handgun while running from officers on The Alameda in May of 2018. The corruption has cost Baltimore taxpayers more than $13 million in settlements with victims and hundreds of cases the corrupt officers worked on had to be thrown out. Sgt. Newberg was later arrested and charged with second-degree assault, false imprisonment and misconduct. He said drugs should be decriminalized to take the profit out of the game, and addiction should be treated like the public health problem that it is. 7 Baltimore officers accused of abusing power, robbing citizens. In 2015, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) started investigating the unit. They counted $200,000 in cash, stole half the money and then put the rest of the cash back in the safe, the officers said. Moore, a 14-year veteran with the department, was placed on unpaid suspension before his guilty plea and is no longer with the department. As the former head of the GTTF, Allers admitted stealing cash from civilians on several occasions in the course of his police work, along with officers Hersl, Rayam and Gondo. In his plea, Gondo admitted acting as a lookout during a home invasion, stealing money during arrests and searches as an officer, arranging the sale of a seized gun and marijuana, and taking thousands of dollars in unearned overtime pay from the city. In March 2017, eight members of the Gun Trace Task Force ("GTTF"), a unit within the Baltimore City Police Department ("BPD"), were indicted and arrested on federal charges of robbery, extortion, overtime fraud, and selling drugs seized during police operations. All Rights Reserved. In January 2022, a law firms independent investigation into the GTTF found institutional failure in supervision of the officers. "We didn't go above and beyond to make sure we were checking, to make sure that those people sworn to serve and protect hadn't turned themselves into the biggest gang in Baltimore," Scott said.| VIDEO BELOW: Baltimore pays out $575K in latest GTTF settlementMore GTTF settlement coverage from 11 News: This content is imported from Twitter. Former Baltimore police officer Arthur Williams, 26, was found guilty of second-degree assault in June after body-camera footage that went viral showed him punching a man several times in East Baltimore back on a sidewalk in 2018. Amid protests following the killing of Freddie Gray in 2015, one GTTF officer allegedly prevented looting that was happening at a pharmacy. A veteran police sergeant filmed allegedly arresting, threatening and harassing. She sentenced him to 9-months in jail after finding Williams guilty of second-degree assault and official misconduct. Koushall was charged with assault assault after being accused of striking fellow officer Sgt. Federal prosecutors said they used their authority to rob suspects of drugs and money. [Crime] Horrific violence': Three fatally shot Tuesday in Baltimore, including well-known community leader, in October, when Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby, Former Baltimore police officer Arthur Williams, 26, Veteran former Baltimore police officer Michael Gentil. Gaff originally wrote in a police report that the man resisted arrest, although body camera footage captured a different narrative, according to Baltimore Sun reports. On the stand, Rayam wept after listening to a tape of himself and other members of the task force failing to render aid at the scene of a serious car accident they caused. Read about our approach to external linking. At least 13 officers were brought down on allegations that included robbing citizens, stealing and selling drugs, falsifying reports and overtime and trying to cover it all up. Here are examples of the startling stories of corruption to emerge from the trial: In September 2016, Hersl, Taylor and three other officers allegedly robbed Sergio Summerville, a small-time drug dealer who kept his stash at a storage unit downtown. It's just awful.". The suspects, sometimes as many as 50 per night, were robbed of drugs and money. Cell phone video outside of the Custom House Avenue strip club around 1:20 a.m., showed an officer pulling Middleton, who was off-duty, to the ground by her shirt collar. We Own This City depicts the officers stealing drugs and money, authorities investigating their actions, and their eventual downfall and when the officers started to turn on each other. William A. He claims that because the amount was so large he was scared he would be caught, and dumped the money into a field behind his house. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Murphy was assigned to the Northeastern District and was originally hired by the department in 1996. Two former Baltimore police officers found guilty in corruption trial Feb. 13, 2018 01:20. . "It was a gut punch to the family, and they needed to stand up for their parents. The wide array of crimes the GTTFs officers engaged in is staggering. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER OF THE OTHER CAR UMAR BURLEY AND BRENT MATTHEWS WERE ARRESTED ACCUSED OF HEROIN POSSESSION AND CONVICTED. For all their misdeeds, members of the task force delivered when it came to gun and drug seizures, and they arrested some serious criminals. Its police department has been through a lot. The settlement goes to the family of a retired construction worker who was killed in a crash involving former Baltimore police officers who were part of the disbanded task force. Fenton touches on the larger issues raised by the shocking activities of the Gun Trace Task Force members, but he doesnt linger there. Ethan Newberg, a 24-year veteran, was charged with assault, false imprisonment and misconduct after chasing bystander Lee Dotson, who complained about police tactics on another man officers detained during a warrant check in May. Former detectives Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor were convicted of. At the location, police found the victim inside a vehicle . Family says they've received justice with $6M GTTF settlement, CAN ABILITY. He told the jury that after one particularly large score, Jenkins told them, "Don't be greedy. In one instance, Allers stole $10,000 he found while searching the home of a man named "D.R.". The officers, who were assigned to the BPDs public housing drug unit, were called out in the Stop Snitching underground video, with a man on the tape saying the officers looked out for certain drug dealers. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. They initiated reckless and at least once, fatal car chases. The Baltimore Sun reports 47-year-old Umar Burley on Monday had his record cleared of charges prosecutors say were falsified by members of the corrupt Gun Trace Task Force.