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. >> IT WAS IS THE HIGHEST MAGNITUDE OF ABUSE OF POWER. Gun Trace Task Force fallout: Carmine Vignola. 8:24 PM EST, Mon February 12, 2018. 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. Sgt. And when the GTTFs actions were publicized a year later, trust between the BPD and the communities they policed was already severely fractured. All Rights Reserved. Stepp testified that Hersl shared in the proceeds from the drug sales, WBAL-TV reported, and alleged that Taylor participated in the theft of 30 pounds of marijuana. CORRUPT JUDGE sentenced TO ARREST for FILMING A COP! The report had a number of recommendations for the BPD, most of them focusing on more oversight and accountability for officers in the department. April Is Packed With Prestige Dramas. 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. Prosecutors found that it was not possible that OSullivan could have witnessed the handgun being tossed. The officers charged in the racketeering indictment are: Det. Taylor was the fastest, and the other officers relied on him to make the apprehensions. They stole 800g of heroin, jewellery, watches and a gun. Baltimore police officers accused of rampant crime and corruption Feb. 9, 2018 04:35. Hersl shared letters with WJZ where he still proclaims his innocence. A man named Ronald Hamilton testified that his car was stopped in 2016 by task force members, the station reported. This is not about aggressive policing, it is a criminal conspiracy, Rod Rosenstein, the former US Attorney for Maryland said in 2017 when the officers were charged. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. Gladstones indictment came amidst the continuing investigation into police corruption allegations related to the Gun Trace Task Force scandal, in which eight city officers were convicted of racketeering offenses for robbing people using their badge. Some of the letters convicted former BPD cop Daniel Hersl has written about the Gun Trace Task Force. >> IT MEANS A LOT TO ME AND MY FAMILY. "The city is accepting responsibility and is being held accountable after the Board of Estimates approved the settlement at its meeting Wednesday morning. King later said the tactics were imported by the departments New York police leadership, and blamed immense pressure to reduce crime as the reason he and some colleagues went bad. Former officers testified that their main method of making arrests was "door pops" - driving up to large groups and throwing the doors open as if they were about to arrest someone. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Testimony and evidence presented during the trial brought to light shocking criminality that continued even as US Justice Department civil rights lawyers investigated Baltimores Police Department. Baltimore, Md.--9/23/19-- BCPD Det. Eight members of the nine-person squad ended up going to federal prison after being convicted on corruption charges. 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. 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. He also admitted planting 28g of heroin on a man who was then sent to prison. His release date is in 2025. 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. 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 . The victim, Dashawn McGrier, suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs and other ailments while spending three days in a hospital. On 1 March, 2017, Sergeant Wayne Jenkins and six of his subordinate officers from the Gun Trace Task Force walked into the Baltimore Police Department's Internal Affairs building, believing. De Sousa was appointed as police commissioner by then-Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in January 2018. Instead, they became hunters.. The note was left in the wife's door. Read about our approach to external linking. 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.. Tears start coming out. Our story yesterday https://t.co/kaGvIzQ05U @wjz pic.twitter.com/pVFvkOTLtV. THEY WERE LATER EXONERATED WHEN IT WAS REVEALED THE GTTF MEMBERS PLANTED THE DRUGS AND FALSIFIED REPORTS. Gondo, 36, was a member of the corrupt Gun Trace Task Force and 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. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. All charges against Dotson were dropped, while Newberg is out on bond pending trial on the old and new charges. Prosecutors said Gentil failed to yield to Miller walking across the street. 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. 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. Amid protests following the killing of Freddie Gray in 2015, one GTTF officer allegedly prevented looting that was happening at a pharmacy. Former detectives Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor were convicted of. 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. All charges against Dotson were dropped, while Newbergs is out on bond pending trial on the old and new charges. Momodu Bondeva Kenton Gondo, a/k/a GMoney and Mike, 34, of Owings Mills, hired in 2005. Vignola, a 12-year veteran, was the 14th person caught in the massive police sweeping corruption scandal. For all their misdeeds, members of the task force delivered when it came to gun and drug seizures, and they arrested some serious criminals. Hendrix admitted stealing money on several occasions, with his fellow officers, during traffic stops and while executing search warrants. Family seeks justice from city after crash involving GTTF, Family of man killed in 2010 crash linked to GTTF case files lawsuit, Baltimore pays out $575K in latest Gun Trace Task Force settlement, Lawyer of man who went to jail behind GTTF allegations talks settlement, GTTF police misconduct cases costs Baltimore another $500K, Rapper Young Moose to get $300K from city in Gun Trace Task Force settlement, Independent investigator releases Gun Trace Task Force report, I-Team: City taxpayers have spent over $14M to cover GTTF settlements, City set to pay out more than $10M in GTTF settlements, City Board of Estimates to consider more than $500K payout related to GTTF lawsuit, $1.1M in police misconduct settlements approved in Baltimore, Court rules city on hook for settlements in 2 Gun Trace Task Force lawsuits, Attorney: Baltimore City shouldn't have to pay settlements in GTTF case, Mosby seeks to have 790 'tainted' convictions thrown out, Leaders question if Baltimore should be financially responsible for GTTF lawsuits, Report details taxpayer payouts in Baltimore police misconduct cases, Lawsuit against former gun squad members seeks $40M, Former detectives found guilty in corruption trial, Get the WBAL-TV app; Sign up for email alerts, Baltimore pays out $575K in latest GTTF settlement. One witness said they saw Middleton being punched in the face. He was investigated for an $11,000 theft that year. 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. Court records, sentencing memorandums and Baltimore Sun archives show that at least 20 Baltimore police officers including some who are no longer with the department were either charged, sentenced, or suspended during 2019. 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. Vignola faces sentencing ranging from probation to five years in federal prison and is no longer with the department. Federal prosecutors said they used their authority to rob suspects of drugs and money. Sgt. After the group stole over $100,000 from a safe, Ward testified he was given a $20,000 cut. Two former Baltimore police officers found guilty in corruption trial Feb. 13, 2018 01:20. . "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.. 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. Three juveniles were arrested Tuesday night after a high-speed chase that led officers across state lines. 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. Prosecutors tried to show that squad members targeted casinos for people to rob. Moore, a 14-year veteran with the department was placed on unpaid suspension before his guilty plea and is no longer with the department. 14912. Summerville said the detectives stole drugs and $2,400 he had stuffed in a sock. 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. This includes a Philadelphia police officer, Eric Snell, who had previously been a part of the BPD and had ties to the GTTF. A third officer came over and intervened. Prosecutors recently tacked on 32 new but similar charges after reviewing video taken from Newbergs body camera over several months. Former officer Aaron Heilman reached a plea agreement for misconduct in office and drunk-driving charges. THEY NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THE CITY WAS HELD ACCOUNTABLE. Here is a breakdown of some of the players and the most shocking revelations from the case. The charges rocked BPD and the city of Baltimore. A jury convicted OSullivan, 44, in October after finding he lied in court about a criminal case. Taylor was not involved in that incident, according to the criminal complaint. appreciated. Be informed of breaking news as it happens and notified about other don't-miss content with our free news alerts. I have . A veteran police sergeant filmed allegedly arresting, threatening and harassing innocent men faces a slew of charges. Baltimore police officials say they are working to address not only problems in the department, but also to become more responsive to members of the public. Hamilton testified that Hersl and three other officers later searched his home and walked out with at least $25,000 in cash. Their crimes, which went on for about a decade before officers in the unit were arrested in 2017, seemed straight out of the movies. / CBS Baltimore. Henrietta Middleton and faces up to 10 years in prison. 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. A jury convicted OSullivan, 44, in October after finding he lied in court about a criminal case. REPORTING LIVE FROM DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE, BARRY SIMMS WBAL TV 11 NEW. The driver and passenger of the other car -- Umar Burley and Brent Matthews -- were accused of possessing heroin, arrested and convicted. Ward admitted stealing money during traffic stops and while executing search warrants. He is scheduled to be sentenced in December. 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. Momodu Gondo is serving a 10-year sentence in North Carolina. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. In January 2022, a law firms independent investigation into the GTTF found institutional failure in supervision of the officers. Ward said that when the squad was out on patrol, Jenkins would drive quickly toward a group of people, and the other officers would pop the doors open and chase those who took off running, according to the station. From the bench, Baltimore Circuit Judge Yolanda Tanner said Williams repeated blows to McGrier were without justification. She sentenced him to 9 months in jail after finding Williams guilty of second-degree assault and official misconduct. BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A federal judge handed down lengthy prison sentences Thursday to two former Baltimore City Police . All but two remain in federal prison. 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. When he was arrested, federal agents found unregistered assault rifles, cocaine residue, and razors in his home. 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