A veteran police sergeant filmed allegedly arresting, threatening and harassing innocent men faces a slew of charges. Discovery Company. A responsible law enforcement apparatus in Baltimore would have chosen to examine its failures. Former officer Aaron Heilman reached a plea agreement for misconduct in office and drunk-driving charges. The aftershocks of the GTTF scandal continue to be felt to this day. 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. The city is accepting responsibility and is being held accountable after the Board of Estimates approved the settlement at its meeting Wednesday morning. Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, who was the leader of the unit, pleaded guilty to multiple charges including racketeering, robbery, and falsification of records and was sentenced to 25 years in prison, the stiffest of all the sentences. Where are the disgraced Gun Trace Task Force officers now? Sergeant Wayne. Many people who read this book may come to the same conclusion that former Baltimore mayor Kurt L. Schmoke reached more than three decades ago, when he offered a radical proposal for rooting out the problem. The case was brought after the DEA heard Gondo admitting to selling drugs on tape. The incident was caught on closed-circuit television footage after the strip clubs on The Block in the 1400 block of Baltimore Street let out and police were clearing the area. Elbert Davis killed, Phosa Cain injured in crash involving GTTF. Read about our approach to external linking. The two men split the proceeds. Baltimore city Police Captain Darryl Murphy was suspended in June, but the department declined to provide additional comments as to why. You have reached your limit of free articles. An employee at the storage facility testified that Hersl and his supervisor, who has pleaded guilty, demanded to see a surveillance video of the encounter, the station reported. Taylor is at a federal prison in northeast Arkansas. Baltimore officials approved a $6 million payout in what is one of the city's largest settlements reached in the Gun Trace Task Force police misconduct case. The items were shown to the jury. 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. The leader of a rogue Baltimore police unit sobbed as he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in a corruption scandal prosecutors called "breathtaking". Summerville said the detectives stole drugs and $2,400 he had stuffed in a sock. Hersl shared letters with WJZ where he still proclaims his innocence. Rivera-Martinez was sentenced to six months in prison in August. He was investigated for an $11,000 theft that year. They specifically tracked one member, Momodu Gondo, who was believed to be working with drug dealers and possibly helping them circumvent drug charges. Court records show he received probation and a suspended prison sentence. Chuang agreed, saying 20 years for King and Murray roughly corresponds with the type of sentences presently imposed in comparable police corruption cases in this District.. 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. All charges against Dotson were dropped, while Newbergs is out on bond pending trial on the old and new charges. The settlement goes to . "It was a gut punch to the family, and they needed to stand up for their parents. Rayam admitted that he'd been stealing money long before he joined the Gun Trace Task Force, as early as 2009. In one instance, Allers stole $10,000 he found while searching the home of a man named "D.R.". Read about our approach to external linking. 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. U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake handed down the punishment to former Gun Trace Task Force member Daniel Hersl, who had a reputation as a dirty officer stretching back years. Instead of getting rid of crime, police officers in the GTTF engaged in it, against the communities they were supposed to serve. 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. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital In his plea, Gondo admitted to 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. 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. Where else can they make so much money so fast? Amazingly, many of the units misdeeds took place even as federal investigators were scrutinizing the police department for civil rights violations after the disturbances that followed the 2015 death of Freddie Gray in police custody. First published on April 29, 2022 / 11:30 PM. The employee said that, when he demanded a search warrant, one officer told him he looked like somebody that needed to be robbed.. Quick has worked with the department since 1995. 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. Unit members were given paid time off that wasnt on the books in return for getting guns off the street, Ward said, according to WBAL-TV. The department opened an investigation on Quick, who works for the Consent Decree Implementation Unit, but provided no specifics as to why. 7 Baltimore officers accused of abusing power, robbing citizens. Hersl and Taylor both received 18-year sentences. His focus is on the characters in the unit and the fascinating twists and turns of the investigation that eventually brought the rogue cops to justice. THE BOARD OF ESTIMATES APPROVED A SIX MILLION DOLLAR SETTLEMENT. All Rights Reserved. We can do this three times a year.". Hamilton testified that Hersl and three other officers later searched his home and walked out with at least $25,000 in cash. 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. Some of the letters convicted former BPD cop Daniel Hersl has written about the Gun Trace Task Force. Middleton was originally charged with assault, but charges were dropped. This article was published more than3 years ago. Baltimore is in need of significant reforms within our criminal justice system and we must collectively strengthen our efforts to regain public trust, Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement after the verdict. Rebuilding the Departments relationship with the community and restoring the publics trust in the Department are among Commissioner Harrisons highest priorities, police spokesman Matt Jablow wrote in a response to questions from the Sun. A Warner Bros. If anyone ran, the officers would chase after them. The DOJ report came shortly after Grays killing sparked an uprising in the city and throughout the U.S. decrying police brutality and racial discrimination. She died eight years after the crash. Now, with the settlement, family members told 11 News they've received justice. (Kenneth K. Lam). Former detectives Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor were convicted of racketeering conspiracy, racketeering and Hobbs Act robbery charges, said Elizabeth Morse, spokeswoman for the US attorneys Office in Maryland. He told the jury that on one occasion, he and Officer Taylor pulled rubbish from a house they needed a search warrant for and recovered evidence of marijuana. The public relations damage crested in October, when Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby said she had a list of hundreds of officers with alleged credibility issues. Burley's vehicle struck another, killing 86-year-old Elbert Davis in 2010. In February former Baltimore police detective Momodu Gondo was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for racketeering and heroin distribution conspiracy, winning a reduced sentence after cooperating with the federal government. He resigned four months later amid the tax charges. 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. REPORTER: THE FAMILY FILED A LAWSUIT CLAIMING CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS THE CASE WAS SET FOR TRIAL IN MAY. Gun Trace Task Force fallout: Momodu Gondo. Nor did they worry much about ramming their cars into suspects vehicles, or rolling up on people and roughly questioning them without probable cause. 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. There were wrongful convictions, the death of an innocent civilian and the mysterious killing of a detective who was shot a day before he was scheduled to testify against the unit. As history has shown, the proposal did not get very far. All Rights Reserved. Prior to the Gun Trace Task Force case, the case of King and Murray was one of the highest-profile Baltimore police corruption cases. As brazen as the crimes by task force members were, they went undetected, or at least under-investigated, for years, largely because their beleaguered bosses were mostly concerned with getting violent crime under control. The federal system has no parole, but following the sentence reductions both officers could be released to halfway houses soon, their attorneys said. Amid protests following the killing of Freddie Gray in 2015, one GTTF officer allegedly prevented looting that was happening at a pharmacy. Cocaine, an expensive watch and designer clothes were also taken from the home. Tears start coming out. 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. Heres why. Their crimes, which went on for about a decade before officers in the unit were arrested in 2017, seemed straight out of the movies. The First Step Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in 2018, has led to a wave of sentence reductions, particularly in non-violent drug cases where defendants received lengthy sentences. 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. "We think the settlement is warranted due to the egregious facts in this case," said John Solter, an attorney for the family.Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, a member of the Board of Estimates, said this case exemplifies the need for police reform, training and oversight. 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. EPIC ID REFUSAL | how cops get off0:00 - Video 1 | I tell a cop "you're dism. The public relations damage crested in October, when Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby said she had a list of hundreds of officers with alleged credibility issues. He stole $20,000 alongside two friends who posed as police officers during a home invasion. 14912. The scandal broke at a time of struggle and high tensions between Baltimore community members and the police department. Magazines, Digital Prosecutors found that it was not possible that OSullivan could have witnessed the handgun being tossed. The officers attorneys noted that former Gun Trace Task Force Sgt. 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. 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. Longtime Democratic operative Patrick Doherty was sentenced Wednesday to more than five years in federal prison for a wide range of corruption schemes stemming from a sprawling federal bribery . Its Time to Radically Rethink Public Safety. She died eight years after the crash.Now, with the settlement, family members told 11 News they've received justice. 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. GTTF members were tasked with finding and removing guns from the streets of Baltimore. 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 . 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. Our story yesterday https://t.co/kaGvIzQ05U @wjz pic.twitter.com/pVFvkOTLtV. "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. 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. NOW IT HAS JUSTICE. REPORTER: THE WRECK HAPPENED IN APRIL 2010 A CAR CHASED FOR ABOUT 45 SECONDS BY MEMBERS OF THE DISBANDED GUN TRACE TASK FORCE CRASHED INTO THEIR PARENTS CAR. Its unclear why they were granted early release. 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. Detective Kevin Brown, currently suspended, was charged with driving under the influence in August. Jenkins would also give overtime pay as a reward for gun seizures, former detectives testified. Two former Baltimore Police officers sentenced to a combined 454 years in federal prison for shaking down citizens in the early 2000s had their prison terms reduced to 20 years each by a. Former Baltimore cop Jemell Rayam was sentenced to 12 years in prison in May for robbing people over the course of a decade as a part of the final sentencing for members of the Gun Trace Task. plea agreement for misconduct in office and drunk-driving charges. Brown, 43, was charged with driving a Baltimore City vehicle while under the influence of alcohol after a crash in Hartford County in 2018 and with carrying a handgun while under the influence, according to court records. You cant rob people just because theyre drug dealers, he said. 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. Six pleaded guilty, including Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, the unit's leader since June 2016. They stole 800g of heroin, jewellery, watches and a gun. The charges rocked BPD and the city of Baltimore. At least 20 Baltimore police officers arrested, sentenced or suspended during departments ugly 2019, Bradley Beal hits season high as Wizards fight to the finish in Atlanta, For Ovechkin in winter, a deadline sell-off makes sense this spring, Commanders cut Carson Wentz and Bobby McCain, clearing cap space, was charged with assault, false imprisonment and misconduct, racketeering and conspiracy to distribute heroin, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison, Local newsletters: Local headlines (8 a.m.) |. Baltimore police officers accused of rampant crime and corruption Feb. 9, 2018 04:35. 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. All but one of its members was indicted on robbery, extortion and overtime fraud in March 2017 after a lengthy investigation by the FBI. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. And more officers tied to the Gun Trace Task Force were charged or sentenced in federal court. Ethan Newberg, right, a 24-year Baltimore Police Department. >> EVERY TIME SPEAK ABOUT IT, YOU GET CHOKED UP, AND TEARS START COMING OUT. '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. THERE ARE STILL FIVE MORE LAWSUITS ARE PENDING AND TWO OTHER CLAIMS COULD ALSO TURN INTO LAWSUITS. Baltimore officials approved a $6 million payout in what is one of the city's largest settlements reached in the Gun Trace Task Force police misconduct case.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.Shirley Johnson and her brothers and sisters relied on patience as they sought an apology and accountability almost 13 years after a crash killed their father, Elbert Davis Sr., and seriously injured their mother, Phosa Cain. 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. They said they entered Stevensons Baltimore home without a warrant and broke open a safe. Gaff was hired by the department in 2013. A violent 2019 in the city was also a busy year for prosecutors, internal affairs detectives and others charged with policing Baltimores police. Be informed of breaking news as it happens and notified about other don't-miss content with our free news alerts. In an attempt to stop her, Jenkins had his officers write a fake note purportedly from the husband's mistress. Carmine Vignola, left, shown walking with his lawyer Gary Proctor, pled guilty for making false statements to a grand jury relating to the GTTF investigation. Their business model eventually didnt work. At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. The case began in 2015 when the DEA found. Baltimore Police remain under a consent decree to correct years of civil rights abuses. Baltimore police officer Julie Pitocchelli, who was a member with the department since 1994, was suspended without pay in June after an investigation regarding overtime pay for officers. Where are they now? Wayne Jenkins, who pleaded guilty to years of robberies and drug dealing, received 25 years in prison in 2018. The officers had plead not guilty. 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