BALTIMORE — Local and federal law enforcement officials on Wednesday announced the arrests and indictments of seven Baltimore Police Department officers.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the officers are being charged in connection with a racketeering conspiracy and racketeering offenses, including robbing victims, filing false affidavits and making fraudulent overtime claims.
One of the officers is also charged in a separate drug distribution indictment.
The officers charged in the racketeering indictment are:
*Det. Momodu Bondeva Kenton Gondo, a/k/a GMoney and Mike, 34, of Owings Mills, hired in 2005
*Det. Evodio Calles Hendrix, 32, of Randallstown, hired in 2009
*Det. Daniel Thomas Hersl, 47, of Joppa, hired in 1999
*Sgt. Wayne Earl Jenkins, 36, of Middle River, hired in 2003
*Det. Jemell Lamar Rayam, 36, of Owings Mills, hired in 2005
*Det. Marcus Roosevelt Taylor, 30, of Glen Burnie, hired in 2009
*Det. Maurice Kilpatrick Ward, 36, of Middle River, hired in 2003
“This is not about aggressive policing, it is about a criminal conspiracy,” U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said. “Prosecuting criminals who work in police agencies is essential both to protect victims and to support the many honorable officers whose reputations they unfairly tarnish.”
Rosenstein said five federal cases were quietly dropped because of the involvement of the officers in the investigation.
Baltimore police Commissioner Kevin Davis said the officers have been suspended without pay.
“The police officers charged today with crimes that erode trust with our community have disgraced the Baltimore Police Department and our profession,” Davis said.
“We will not shy away from accountability, as our community and the men and women who serve our City every day with pride and integrity deserve nothing less.
Our investigative partnership with the FBI will continue as we strive to improve. Reform isn’t always a pretty thing to watch unfold, but it’s necessary in our journey toward a police department our City deserves.”
According to the indictment, police officers stole money, property and drug from victims, some of whom had not committed crimes.
The officers also allegedly swore out false affidavits, submitted false official incident reports and engaged in large-scale time and attendance fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the officers committed robberies and extortion between 2015 and 2016 when they were officers in the police department’s Gun Trace Task Force, a specialized unit created to investigate firearms crimes.
According to the indictment, five of the seven officers committed robbery and extortion beginning in 2015 before joining the task force.
In some cases, there was no evidence of criminal conduct by the victims as the officers stole money that had been legally obtained, Rosenstein said.
did not file any police reports. The amounts stolen ranged from $200 to $200,000.
According to the indictment, the defendants stole money, property and drugs by detaining victims, entering their homes, conducting traffic stops and swearing out false search warrant affidavits.
In addition, the defendants allegedly prepared and submitted false official incident and arrest reports, reports of property seized from arrestees, and charging documents to cover up their crimes, according to the indictment.
The defendants also allegedly obstructed the investigation by alerting each other about potential investigations of their criminal conduct, coaching one another to give false testimony to police investigators from and turning off their body cameras to avoid recording encounters with civilians, according to the indictment.
FOP No. 3 president Gene Ryan released the following statement regarding the charges.
“We are very disturbed over the charges filed against our members by the U.S. Attorney today,” Ryan said. “These officers are entitled to due process and a fair trial in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of our state.
It would be in appropriate for me to make any further comment until the charges leveled against these officers are finally resolved.”
In a separate seven-count indictment, Gondo, Shropshire, Thomas, Washington, Campbell and Wells are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin as part of the Shropshire drug trafficking organization.
Washington is charged with possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin resulting in death. Also, Shropshire, Gondo, and Campbell are charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin and Shropshire is also charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.
According to the indictment, the conspirators primarily distributed heroin near the Alameda Shopping Center in Baltimore.
According to the indictment, in one telephone call, Gondo allegedly said, “I sell drugs.”
Gondo is also accused of provided sensitive law enforcement information to other conspirators in order to help the drug organization and protect his co-conspirators. According to the indictment, Gondo helped Shropshire get rid of a GPS tracking device that had been placed on his vehicle by DEA.
Gondo also advised Wells about law enforcement operations in order to protect Wells from being arrested, according to the indictment.
All officers were taken into custody at the Baltimore PoliceInternal Affairs section Wednesday morning. All of the officers have been suspended without pay. They are in the custody of theFBI.
Anyone who believes they may have information about these cases is asked to call 1-800-CALL-FBI
The seven defendants each face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy and for racketeering.