7 Baltimore officers accused of theft
Police arrested for allegedly stealing cash, puffing up paychecks
Seven Baltimore police officers were arrested Wednesday on racketeering charges, accused of stealing from hapless victims who often committed no crimes and of filing bloated overtime claims that almost doubled their salaries.
The indictment comes less than a month after the Justice Department reached a sweeping agreement with the embattled Baltimore Police Department. U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said Wednesday’s charges involved “abuse of power” by six detectives and a sergeant on the city’s Gun Trace Task Force team.
“What is particularly signifi- cant about the allegations in this indictment is that these officers were involved in stopping people who had not committed crimes,” Rosenstein said. “Not only seizing their money but pocketing it.”
Rosenstein said the amount of money the officers would seize, without any charges being filed, ranged from hundreds of dollars to $200,000. Some of the alleged overtime abuses included one officer who claimed overtime for a day of gambling at a casino.
The indicted officers are Detective Momodu Bondeva Kenton “GMoney” Gondo, 34, who also was charged in a drug-dealing conspiracy; Detective Evodio Calles Hendrix, 32; Detective Daniel Thomas Hersl, 47; Sgt. Wayne Earl Jenkins, 36; Detective Jemell Lamar Rayam, 36; Detective Marcus Roosevelt Taylor, 30; and Detective Maurice Kilpatrick Ward, 36.
The indictment claims Jenkins was the worst overtime offender in fiscal 2016. His salary was $85,406, plus he received more than $83,000 in overtime pay.
Gene Ryan, who heads the Baltimore police union, said he was “disturbed” by the charges, but the officers are “entitled to due process and a fair trial.”
Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said it was a difficult day for the city and a “punch in the gut” for his force. But he said such crackdowns would be applauded by his officers.
Last month, the Justice Department and the Baltimore Police Department agreed on a series of changes that await a judge’s approval. The overhaul stems from a scathing federal report on police operations issued after the widely publicized death of Freddie Gray in April 2015 while in police custody. Gray’s death sparked days of sometimes-violent protests across the city.