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U.S. NEWS Friday 3 March 2017
Jailing of officers shakes Baltimore criminal justice system

These undated photos provided by the Baltimore Police Department show, from left, Daniel Hersl, Evodio Hendrix, Jemell Rayam, Marcus Taylor, Maurice Ward, Mo-
modu Gando and Wayne Jenkins, the seven police officers who are facing charges of robbery, extortion and overtime fraud, and are accused of stealing money
and drugs from victims, some of whom had not committed crimes.
(Baltimore Police Department via AP)
JULIET LINDERMAN Prosecutors said in court Rosenstein on Wednesday volving the officers. ongoing, and there’s sub-
Associated Press Thursday that witnesses are said his office “quietly” “First, to make sure any- stantial, credible evidence
BALTIMORE (AP) — They “terrified” that the officers dropped five federal cases one with an open case — that these officers shouldn’t
were just seven officers on or their colleagues will re- in which one or more of the if they’re incarcerated or have been allowed to testi-
a police force of more than taliate against them, and officers were involved in ar- if they’re on the street and fy and represent the police
3,000, but the Baltimore de- that some of the officers resting or charging the sus- their lives have been on department,” she said.
tectives charged with theft, had been “tipped off” to pects, and indicated that hold — there could be false “In some cases, individu-
fraud and conspiracy had the federal probe inves- there could be more. allegations,” Finegar said. als took plea bargains be-
an outsized crime-fighting tigation by other police Defense attorneys are re- “Then, there are cases cause they thought they’d
role in a city plagued by officers and an assistant viewing their cases to see we’ve just recently handled never be believed over a
violence. state’s attorney. what to do about any in- while the investigation was police officer. q
The sweeping federal in- Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo
dictment calls into ques- Wise also said one witness
tion each and every case the detectives dealt with
touched by these men, testified that she didn’t
with potentially catastroph- even realize they were po-
ic consequences for the lice: “She said she thought
city’s already fragile crimi- they were ‘thugs who were
nal justice system. going to rape and kill” her,”
“It’s a nightmare,” said Wise said.
Natalie Finegar, Baltimore’s Baltimore State’s Attorney
deputy public defender. Marilyn Mosby was not in-
“There’s going to be hun- formed of the probe until
dreds and we’ll sort through the indictment was an-
every story.” nounced on Wednesday,
They were members of the Rosenstein said. Shortly
Gun Trace Task Force, a unit thereafter, her office is-
dedicated to getting illegal sued a statement saying
guns off the streets of Balti- the charges would have
more, and were involved “pervasive implications on
in hundreds of cases in the active investigations and
past two years. Federal pending cases.”
prosecutors say they used Mosby told reporters Thurs-
their position to terrorize the day that she hadn’t heard
community. about a member of her
The indictment announced staff communicating with
by U.S. Attorney Rod the officers. A spokeswom-
Rosenstein describes them an for Mosby did not return
threatening the innocent, multiple calls for more de-
detaining people on false tailed comment.
pretenses, stealing their The officers charged with
money, faking police re- racketeering are detec-
ports, lying to investigators, tives Momodu Gondo, Evo-
defrauding their depart- dio Hendrix, Daniel Hersl,
ment, and flagrantly disre- Wayne Jenkins, Jemell
garding reform efforts by Rayam, Marcus Taylor and
turning off their body cam- Maurice Ward. Gondo also
eras. is charged with participat-
The fallout had begun ing in a drug conspiracy.
even before Finegar ar- U.S. Magistrate Judge
rived at her office Thursday Stephanie Gallagher or-
morning. Less than 24 hours dered six of the officers
after their surrender, a man to remain jailed pending
waiting for her in the lobby trial due to the “egregious
said he’d been wrongfully breach of public trust.” The
arrested by one of the of- seventh will have his deten-
ficers. tion hearing Friday.