Ex-Baltimore task force detective who stole money gets 10 years

Sentence reduced due to cooperation with investigation

BALTIMORE — A former Baltimore Police Gun Trace Task Force detective who stole money as an officer while aiding members of a drug crew on the side was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday, a substantial credit for his cooperation with the government.

Momodu Gondo, 36, of Owings Mills, was the only officer in the case to be charged as part of two separate criminal conspiracies, and as a result faced the steepest possible sentence — 60 years.

But Gondo also offered “powerful testimony” against both groups and at three trials, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo Wise, who asked U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Blake to impose 10 years. Sentencing guidelines, which take into account a defendant’s criminal history and other factors, suggested between 15 and 20 years.

“When I balance Mr. Gondo’s conduct against what he has done to make up for it, I believe the government recommendation is a very reasonable one,” Blake said.

Gondo briefly addressed the court, saying he was “truly remorseful for my actions” and apologizing to the citizens of Baltimore.

Gondo’s plea covered crimes between 2015 and 2016, but he has admitted to stealing money as far back as 2008. Among the crimes Gondo admitted to in his plea was acting as a lookout during a home invasion, stealing money during arrests and searches as an officer, arranging the sale of a seized gun and marijuana, and taking thousands of dollars in unearned overtime pay from the city.

“These prosecutions are extraordinarily painful for the city of Baltimore, but they’re absolutely necessary,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur. “Law enforcement at its best does what they’re sworn to do — they protect our community. At the very worst, they use the tools of the trade to actually prey on the community. That’s what Mr. Gondo did, and 10 years in prison is a just result.”

It was Gondo’s contacts with a North Baltimore drug crew that led investigators to the corrupt police unit. Harford County police investigating a rash of drug overdose cases were listening in on a drug dealer’s phone when they learned he was speaking to Gondo.

That spurred an FBI wiretap of Gondo’s phone, with a listening device later placed in his department vehicle. Gondo testified that it was easy to cover up the crimes, and that he never feared internal affairs.

“When we wrote incident reports, if money was taken, if a person had $10,000, we may write we only have $5,000. Take the 5,000 and submit the other five,” he testified last year. “Or sometimes just take everything.”

Wise, the federal prosecutor, said that despite the range of reforms taking place within the Police Department including the federal consent decree, officers will continue to face temptations.

“We can’t design a mousetrap that will eliminate that temptation,” Wise told Blake. “Integrity is the public’s only protection.”