Cousin of gun task force detective gets 5 years in prison

A federal judge handed down the first prison sentence Friday in the Gun Trace Task Force case, ordering five years behind bars for a man who helped a member of the corrupt unit carry out a $20,000 robbery.

At the sentencing hearing for David Kendall Rahim, federal prosecutors also revealed new allegations against him and his cousin, Baltimore Police Det. Jemell Rayam, saying they took part in two previously undisclosed robberies a decade ago, including one that netted $50,000.

Rahim pleaded guilty last fall to charges that he was recruited in 2014 by Rayam to rob a couple who owned a pigeon store in South Baltimore’s Brooklyn neighborhood. Rayam and members of his unit had executed a search warrant at the couple’s business, where Rayam saw the cash.

That night, he gave police gear and his gun to friend Thomas Robert Finnegan and Rahim, who entered the home pretending to be officers and stole the cash. Finnegan also pleaded guilty.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Hines said the two men were captured on surveillance footage before disabling the security system.

Inside, Finnegan pointed a gun at the couple and told them to sit still and be quiet. Rayam, who worried the couple would recognize him from the search warrant, stayed behind to keep watch.

Rayam is among the eight Baltimore Police officers who have either pleaded guilty or were found guilty at trial, and has been cooperating with the government in hopes of receiving a credit at sentencing. Rayam has admitted to crimes dating back a decade. His sentencing has not been scheduled.

Sentencing guidelines called for Rahim to receive more than nine years in prison, including a mandatory seven years for a charge of committing a crime of violence with a handgun.

U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake said Rahim’s sentence should not be that high, but that it was an “extremely serious” offense that called for five years of incarceration.