3 Baltimore Police Officers In Racketeering Case Face New Charges; 2 Civilians Indicted

By Staff Reporter
Posted on 07/07/17 | News Source: WBAL

Three of the seven Baltimore police officers indicted in March on charges of robberies and overtime fraud now face additional federal robbery charges, with two civilians now facing indictments in the massive scandal.

Prosecutors say a federal grand jury on Thursday returned a superseding indictment against Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, Detective Daniel Hersl and Detective Marcus Taylor. All three, and the other four still facing federal charges, were members of the police Gun Trace Task Force.

A grand jury returned a separate indictment against Thomas Finnegan, 38, of Easton, Pennsylvania, and David Rahim, 41, of Baltimore. They allegedly posed as police and assisted an unnamed officer with the armed robbery of two city residents.

Finnegan and Rahim have initial appearances set for Thursday. The three officers remain in federal custody.

The new indictment against the officers alleges they carried out 13 robberies, extortion and time and attendance fraud dating back to 2011. The new indictment includes details of newly-alleged encounters.

In spring of 2015, Jenkins allegedly stole at least 20 pounds of high-quality marijuana and at least $20,000 from two who were carrying out a drug deal at Belvedere Towers in Baltimore. He claimed he was a Drug Enforcement Agency agent and said he was taking the money and drugs and would decide later whether to charge them. He then allegedly drove Taylor and a co-defendant to a wooded area off Northern Parkway and gave each a $5,000 cut of the stolen money. 

Last summer, Hersl stole money from an arrestee's car and drove one of his co-defendants to a nearby high school parking lot and gave him a cut. While they were splitting the money, Jenkins allegedly broke into the arrestee's storage unit and stole two kilograms of cocaine.

Last June, prosecutors say, Jenkins believed a co-defendant owed him money, so Jenkins gave him drugs and a gun that had been seized in a police operation and told him to sell them. He and another co-defendant sold the gun to a drug dealer.

Between spring of 2011 and last October, the defendants allegedly took over $280,000 in cash, more than two kilograms of cocaine, other narcotics, a 9mm handgun, a $4,000 wristwatch and other property in their robberies. They allegedly alerted each other about potential investigations into their conduct and turned off body cameras to avoid recording their behavior.

One of those robberies was aided by the two civilians charged. On June 27, 2014, the Gun Trace Task Force executed a search warrant on a store in Baltimore's Brooklyn neighborhood. One officer asked whether there was any large amount of money in the store. The owner said she had $20,000 in her pocketbook that she was intending to use to pay a tax bill. The officers didn't arrest anyone or seize anything. Later, a task force member allegedly told Finnegan and Rahim about the money and they agreed to rob the owner at her home. Finnegan and Rahim allegedly agreed to impersonate officers, with help from tactical gear given to them by the detective, who allegedly remained outside in the vehicle to intercept police intervention.

Finnegan and Rahim allegedly robbed the victims of $20,000 at gunpoint. Each faces charges of conspiracy, robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Prosecutors didn't say whether the detective involved was also charged in the primary racketeering case.

The other four officers charged in that case are set to be re-arraigned in the coming weeks and months. Detective Momodu Gondo will appear in federal court on Oct. 12. Detective Evodio Hendriz will appear on July 21. Detective Jemell Rayam will appear on Nov. 9. Detective Maurice Ward will appear on July 24. Ward's attorney has indicated he will enter a guilty plea.