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. Sgt. Taylor was not involved in that incident, according to the criminal complaint. The case was brought after the DEA heard Gondo admitting to selling drugs on tape. Who were the members of the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF)? Middleton was originally charged with assault, but charges were dropped. We can do this three times a year.". 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. Gondo, Ward, Hendrix. 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. In the April 2010 crash, then-members of the GTTF were chasing a car for about 45 seconds. 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. 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. When he was arrested, federal agents found unregistered assault rifles, cocaine residue, and razors in his home. They needed to make sure the city was held accountable," said Judson Lipowitz, an attorney for the family. He was talking about robbing them, Hendrix replied. 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 . Rayam admitted that he'd been stealing money long before he joined the Gun Trace Task Force, as early as 2009. It also includes officers sentenced to prison and officers who have been suspended without additional information provided by the department. Four of the officers who pled guilty testified against their former colleagues, along with drug dealers who struck deals for more lenient sentences. 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. 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 . >> IT WAS IS THE HIGHEST MAGNITUDE OF ABUSE OF POWER. The victim, Dashawn McGrier, suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs and other ailments while spending three days in a hospital. 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. When he was indicted, Rivera-Martinez was suspended without pay. 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 two were both acquitted of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, according to Morse. Baltimore police did not provide specific reasons why Pitocchelli was suspended. 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. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. The employee said that, when he demanded a search warrant, one officer told him he looked like somebody that needed to be robbed.. De Sousa was appointed as police commissioner by then-Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh in January 2018. Court records show he received probation and a suspended prison sentence. April Is Packed With Prestige Dramas. 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. BALTIMORE, MD Seven Baltimore police officers were arrested Wednesday on federal racketeering charges, U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein announced. That car crashed into a car in which Davis and Cain were riding.| VIDEO BELOW: Family seeks justice from city after crash involving GTTFThe driver and passenger of the other car -- Umar Burley and Brent Matthews -- were accused of possessing heroin, arrested and convicted. 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. All but one of its members was indicted on robbery, extortion and overtime fraud in March 2017 after a lengthy investigation by the FBI. Initial reports that a man had been shot by police sparked anger in the crowd. 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. 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. He testified under oath that he witnessed Yusuf Smith toss a handgun while running from officers on The Alameda in May of 2018. appreciated. Part of the reason is that they are scared of retribution, but many citizens also do not trust the police. One of them shot a video showing the officers pretending to open the safe for the first time after they had already pocketed half the money, they testified, according to the newspaper. A federal jury on Monday convicted two former members of a defunct Baltimore police gun task force in a corruption trial. Ethan Newberg, right, a 24-year Baltimore Police Department. Sgt. 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. 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. Neither sentence is unreasonable given the offense conduct in this case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Wilkinson wrote. He also re-sold stolen drugs and split the proceeds with Jenkins. A total of 305 officers were flagged in Mosbys list that was forwarded to the department this month. Jenkins is expected to be released in 2038. Jenkins took half the money and two kilos of cocaine, then told the officers to reseal the safe and create a cell phone video pretending to open it for the first time, finding only $100,000 inside. 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. Former Baltimore officer 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 Force. He resigned four months later amid the tax charges. 8:24 PM EST, Mon February 12, 2018. Jenkins would also give overtime pay as a reward for gun seizures, former detectives testified. >> IT MEANS A LOT TO ME AND MY FAMILY. 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. Henon must . Moore, a 14-year veteran with the department was placed on unpaid suspension before his guilty plea and is no longer with the department. He was investigated for an $11,000 theft that year. All charges against Dotson were dropped, while Newberg is out on bond pending trial on the old and new charges. First published on April 29, 2022 / 11:30 PM. The list of officers includes some who were charged last year but not tried or have reached plea deals until this year. Here is a breakdown of some of the players and the most shocking revelations from the case. 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. Bail bondsman Donald Stepp testified that Jenkins delivered to his Baltimore County home two trash bags full of pharmaceutical drugs stolen from looters during the April 2015 riots that followed the death of Freddie Gray, according to WBAL-TV. Eight members of the nine-person squad ended up going to federal prison after being convicted on corruption charges. - Original Credit: When Dotson asked why he was being arrested, Newberg is heard saying: Just go to jail and take your charge like a man.". From the bench, Baltimore Circuit Judge Yolanda Tanner said Williams repeated blows to McGrier were without justification." THEY WERE LATER EXONERATED WHEN IT WAS REVEALED THE GTTF MEMBERS PLANTED THE DRUGS AND FALSIFIED REPORTS. They robbed suspected drug dealers (some of whom may not have been dealers), sold stolen drugs, illegally used GPS devices to track robbery targets and planted evidence. 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. Baltimore Police remain under a consent decree to correct years of civil rights abuses. Elbert Davis killed, Phosa Cain injured in crash involving GTTF. DUE TO THE EGREGIOUS FACTS IN THIS CASE. This included giving advice to a drug dealer after he discovered a police GPS tracker attached to his car. 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. NOW IT HAS JUSTICE. 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 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. 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. Fenton touches on the larger issues raised by the shocking activities of the Gun Trace Task Force members, but he doesnt linger there. REPORTING LIVE FROM DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE, BARRY SIMMS WBAL TV 11 NEW. They later realised they had taken the trash from the wrong house, but wrote up a fraudulent search warrant anyway. 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. 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