Pa. man gets 81⁄ years in robbery linked to task force

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced Wednesday to 81⁄ years in federal prison for committing an armed robbery alongside a corrupt Baltimore police detective. Thomas Finnegan, 38, of Easton, Pa., pleaded guilty in December to the robbery. His civilian co-defendant, David Rahim, 42, of Baltimore, was sentenced in March to five years for the robbery. U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake also ordered them to pay back the $20,000 they stole. According to plea agreements by the two men, members of the Gun Trace Task Force, including Rahim’s cousin, Detective Jemell Rayam, 42, searched a South Baltimore pigeon supply store in June 2014. During the search, officers discovered $20,000 in cash. Donna Curry and Jeffrey Shore, owners of Patapsco Feed & Supplies, said they had borrowed the cash from friends and family to pay off debt on two homes. Afterward, Rayam, who was also charged in the robbery, told Finnegan and Rahim about the money, prosecutors said. And they plotted to rob the couple at their home later that evening. Rayam gave Finnegan and Rahim police tactical gear to impersonate officers during the robbery, and waited outside in a police car so he could inter- cept any responding officers. Finnegan and Rahim entered the home and robbed the couple at gunpoint of the $20,000. The robbery was part of a long-running corruption scheme carried out by members of the rogue police unit and their accomplices. Eight Baltimore police officers have been convicted of robbing drug dealers and cheating on their overtime pay. Five of the officers have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven to 25 years. The other three await sentencing. the driver and for cab vans with signs of damage, Smith said. Smith called for the driver to turn himself or herself in to police. “Turn yourself in. Explain what happened,” Smith said. “It could be a logical explanation as to what happened, but leaving the scene of an accident is a crime.” Police are looking into video footage from the area, and asking anyone with information about the hitand-run to come forward.

City police announce ‘Safe Place’ partnership

Wednesday. While the idea was initially aimed to support LGBTQ victims, he said the program in Baltimore can help support all crime victims.