>> WE THINK THE SETTLEMENT IS WARRANTED. For all their misdeeds, members of the task force delivered when it came to gun and drug seizures, and they arrested some serious criminals. Baltimore leaders agreed Wednesday, March 1, 2023 to a $6 million settlement agreement in the case of a driver who was killed during a 2010 police chase involving Gun Trace Task Force officers . Barry Simms. He was investigated for an $11,000 theft that year. 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. 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. Jenkins admitted to stealing cash from people he stopped or arrested during his work as a police officer. They needed to make sure the city was held accountable," said Judson Lipowitz, an attorney for the family.In the April 2010 crash, then-members of the GTTF were chasing a car for about 45 seconds. Baltimore Killer Busted After Months-Long Investigation: Police. Kings attorney, Levin, also represented Jenkins. 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. This years charges range from drunken driving to an officer being sentenced to five years in prison after nearly running over a man in a crosswalk, then drawing his gun after the man spilled tea on his car. Henrietta Middleton and faces up to 10 years in prison. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. 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. "He was much more interested in having a movie producer come in and sit with us during the interview. The note was left in the wife's door. He also re-sold stolen drugs and split the proceeds with Jenkins. King is grateful to the Court for recognizing that a reduction of his earlier sentence of 315 years was warranted, said attorney Steve Levin, who filed for the reduction along with Murrays attorney Andrew C. White. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Be informed of breaking news as it happens and notified about other don't-miss content with our free news alerts. Washington (AFP) - A police officer described as perhaps the most corrupt in the history of the Baltimore police department was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday. One of the culprits that emerges from the book is the war on drugs itself. That car crashed into a car in which Davis and Cain were riding. Pitocchelli made more than former Mayor Catherine Pugh, who was the citys 55th highest-paid worker. Snell, 34, worked in the Baltimore police department from 2005 to 2008 and was working as an officer in Philadelphia at the time he was arrested. Nor did they worry much about ramming their cars into suspects vehicles, or rolling up on people and roughly questioning them without probable cause. King and Antonio L. Murray are two former Baltimore Police Department officers sentenced to a total of 454 years (reduced to 20) in prison after an FBI investigation in 2005. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. Gondo, 36, was a member of the Gun Trace Task Force, and he was the only officer in the case to be charged as part of two separate criminal conspiracies, originally facing a possible sentence of 60 years. 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. Wayne Jenkins, who pleaded guilty to years of robberies and drug dealing, received 25 years in prison in 2018. The department opened an investigation on Quick, who works for the Consent Decree Implementation Unit, but provided no specifics as to why. BPD's response was to put Sergeant Wayne Jenkins in charge of the Gun Trace Task Force ("GTTF") in 2016. Cellphone 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. The driver of the second vehicle in the crash was taken to the hospital for minor injuries. When there is misconduct, there must be accountability, said Gupta, now president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Testimony from four of the unit's former members revealed in greater detail the extent of the corruption and the lengths to which the GTTF would go to cover their tracks. Help stop a tyrant officer! Gaff was found guilty of misconduct while in office but found not guilty for second-degree assault. Troy Snell, a former police officer in Baltimore and Philadelphia, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison in April for helping a member of the corrupt Gun Trace Task Force sell drugs on the street in Baltimore. Prosecutors found that it was not possible that OSullivan could have witnessed the handgun being tossed. The incident was caught on close-circuit television footage after the strip clubs on The Block in the 1400 block of Baltimore St. let out and police were clearing the area. 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. It's just awful.". He testified under oath that he witnessed Yusuf Smith toss a handgun while running from officers on the Alameda in May 2018. Gentil resigned in October after working on the force for 24 years. These guys had engaged in so much misconduct previously. Ward admitted stealing money during traffic stops and while executing search warrants. Stay up to date on the news from Silicon Valley, and how to take back control of your data and devices. The conviction of King and Murray resulted from the Baltimore-based Stop Snitchin' campaign in which the two officers were identified on videotape for being involved in drug dealing. 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. Taylor was characterised at trial as the youngest and most inexperienced officer on the task force. Court records show he received probation and a suspended prison sentence. Jenifer Wicks, Taylors attorney, had accused the government of building a conspiracy case with witnesses plucked from the depths of the criminal underworld, according to WBAL-TV. Middletons charges were dropped eight months after the 2018 incident. And when the GTTFs actions were publicized a year later, trust between the BPD and the communities they policed was already severely fractured. Read about our approach to external linking. Any of you, my mother, my father" he told the jury. >> IT WAS A GUT PUNCH TO THE FAMILY. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Its police department has been through a lot. EPIC ID REFUSAL | how cops get off0:00 - Video 1 | I tell a cop "you're dism. REPORTING LIVE FROM DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE, BARRY SIMMS WBAL TV 11 NEW. One witness said they saw Middleton being punched in the face. A total of 305 officers were flagged in Mosbys list that was forwarded to the department this month. 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 victim, Dashawn Mcgrier, suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs and other ailments while spending three days in a hospital. Among the many striking revelations in the book is how casual the officers were about their crimes. 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. Gun Trace Task Force fallout: Momodu Gondo. In January 2022, a law firms independent investigation into the GTTF found institutional failure in supervision of the officers. Taylor was not involved in that incident, according to the criminal complaint. Stepp testified that the sergeant told him he simply waited and ripped off looters leaving shuttered pharmacies with stolen drugs. He stole $20,000 alongside two friends who posed as police officers during a home invasion. Sgt. The aftershocks of the GTTF scandal continue to be felt to this day. Rivera-Martinez was sentenced to six months in prison in August. Hersl and Taylor were charged with participating in the overtime fraud scheme. [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. After some of the tea hit Gentils car, he pulled a gun out and ordered Miller to get face down on the pavement. 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. In some cases, they even resold the very drugs and guns they were supposed to take off the streets. The two others Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylorpleaded not guilty and were convicted in 2018. Fenton touches on the larger issues raised by the shocking activities of the Gun Trace Task Force members, but he doesnt linger there. Some GTTF officers admitted in court that they would drive fast toward groups of people in the street and slam on the breaks. As depicted in the series, six of eight GTTF membersThomas Allers, Wayne Jenkins, Momodu Gondo, Evodio Hendrix, Jemell Rayam, and Maurice Wardpleaded guilty to a number of charges and were convicted. Baltimores grim realities have been mined by talented writers like D. Watkins, Wes Moore and, most famously, celebrated author and TV producer David Simon, whose books and television series Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood and The Wire deftly illuminated Charm Citys complex web of problems. A jury convicted OSullivan, 44, in October after finding he lied in court about a criminal case. He told the jury that after one particularly large score, Jenkins told them, "Don't be greedy. "We think the settlement is warranted due to the egregious facts in this case," said John Solter, an attorney for the family. Baltimore Police remain under a consent decree to correct years of civil rights abuses. 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. White was found shot to death . And more officers tied to the Gun Trace Task Force were charged or sentenced in federal court. FOX45. Federal agents found unregistered assault rifles, cocaine residue and razors in his home. Prosecutors found that it was not possible that OSullivan could have witnessed the handgun being tossed. 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 February 2022, Hendrix and Ward were released from federal prison after being sentenced to seven years. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A federal judge handed down lengthy prison sentences Thursday to two former Baltimore City Police . 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. Retired Baltimore Police Sgt. 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. Gladstone faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A jury convicted OSullivan, 44, in October after finding he lied in court about a criminal case. "It was a gut punch to the family, and they needed to stand up for their parents. 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. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER OF THE OTHER CAR UMAR BURLEY AND BRENT MATTHEWS WERE ARRESTED ACCUSED OF HEROIN POSSESSION AND CONVICTED. Sgt. From the bench, Baltimore Circuit Judge Yolanda Tanner said Williams repeated blows to McGrier were without justification." Where else can they make so much money so fast? The items were shown to the jury. All charges against Dotson were dropped, while Newbergs is out on bond pending trial on the old and new charges. Taylor is at a federal prison in northeast Arkansas. 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. Each faces up to 60 years in prison. 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. The sentencing judge, J. Frederick Motz, lamented at the time that the sentences were absolutely disproportionate to the crimes that were committed but said he had no discretion to depart from the mandatory sentencing laws. 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. BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore's largest police corruption scandal is in the national spotlight with a new HBO drama. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Former detectives Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor were convicted of. 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. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Racially disparate impact is present at every stage of BPDs enforcement actions, from the initial decision to stop individuals on Baltimore streets to searches, arrests, and uses of force.. Marlon Koushall arrested fellow officer Sgt. NOW IT HAS JUSTICE. The case was brought after the DEA heard Gondo admitting to selling drugs on tape. Hersl and Taylor both received 18-year sentences. They targeted suspected drug dealers, carried fake weapons in case they shot an unarmed person to plant the weapon on them, and would re-sell the weapons and drugs that they stole to criminals. "It was too much," he said. 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. A violent 2019 in the city was also a busy year for prosecutors, internal affairs detectives and others charged with policing Baltimores police. 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. Another convicted former detective, Maurice Ward, testified that some officers in the task force kept BB guns in their vehicles in case they needed to plant them on suspects, according to WBAL-TV. Two Baltimore plainclothes police detectives were convicted Monday of racketeering, robbery and fraud in a trial involving a wide range of criminal . 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. Now, with the settlement, family members told 11 News they've received justice. A veteran police sergeant filmed allegedly arresting, threatening and harassing innocent men faces a slew of charges. 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. 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. "Thats why he has placed such a heavy emphasis on building a culture of accountability and providing officers with the necessary training and support to make BPD more efficient, effective and responsive.. A man named Ronald Hamilton testified that his car was stopped in 2016 by task force members, the station reported. Prosecutors recently tacked on 32 new but similar charges after reviewing video taken from Newbergs body camera over several months. But the gripping new book We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops, and Corruption puts that concern to rest. Jenkins would also give overtime pay as a reward for gun seizures, former detectives testified. After some of the tea hit Gentils car, he pulled a gun out and ordered Miller to get face down on the pavement. The case has shone a light on deeply rooted problems known to Baltimore residents for years, said Vanita Gupta, who headed the DOJs civil rights division when the city agreed to a consent decree on sweeping police reforms. 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