Seven Baltimore police officers, who were members of a high-profile gun unit, have been indicted this week for doing several illegal acts that include stealing thousands of dollars from citizens.
Reports show that on Wednesday, seven officers in the Gun Trace Task Force got a slap on the wrist for federal racketeering charges that include robbing people, filing false court paperwork and making fraudulent overtime claims.
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In one instance, an officer stopped a maintenance supervisor at a nursing home before stealing $1,500 that he planned to use to pay his rent, CNN writes.
“These are really robberies by people who are wearing police uniforms,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein.
The Baltimore Sun reports, that all of the officers were summoned to internal affairs before they were arrested. They were identified as Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, 36, and Detectives Momodu Gondo, 34; Evodio Hendrix, 32; Daniel Hersl, 47; Jemell Rayam, 36; Marcus Taylor, 30; and Maurice Ward, 36.
All seven officers were charged in a racketeering indictment, which shows that the officers schemed to steal money, property and narcotics by detaining people, entering residences, conducting traffic stops and swearing out false search warrant affidavits.
The indictments were announced at a press conference following the investigation that began a year ago and involved getting surveillance of the officers.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby, warned that this would have “pervasive implications on numerous active investigations and pending cases.”
Mosby is the prosecutor who filed criminal charges against the six officers in the case of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died in the hospital shortly after experiencing severe injuries while riding unbuckled in the back of a police van.
She also added that it “confirms the inherent difficulties with the BPD [Baltimore Police Department] investigating itself.”