Head Of Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force Pleads Guilty To Racketeering

Corrupt Baltimore Police Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, 37
Corrupt Baltimore Police Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, 37
John Crump
John Crump

U.S.A.-(Ammoland.com)- Former Baltimore Police Sgt. Wayne Jenkins, 37, of Middle River, MD who was in charge of the now disbanded Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force has pleaded guilty in federal court to racketeering.

Federal authorities have arrested a total of nine officers from the disgraced Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and drugs. Prosecutors accuse the GTTF of reselling the drugs and splitting the profits with a drug dealer they supplied. The task force would install GPS trackers on known drug dealer cars and then have a third party break into the cars and steal the cash and drugs. This tactic wasn’t the only thing that task force used.

Jenkins and his fellow task force members would also break into suspected drug dealer houses for what is known as a “sneak and peak.” The officers conducted these searches without a warrant to get an inventory of what was in the houses. The officers would then have a third party rob the home of drugs and cash to resell the narcotics.

In one case Jenkins and fellow officers confiscated 50 lbs of marijuana that was sent by an unknown party through the US mail. Instead of turning it in for evidence in an open case the task force passed the drugs to their dealer who then sold it on the Baltimore streets.

This incident wasn’t the only time that Jenkins and the other task force officers resold confiscated drugs. In one bust they recovered 30 lbs of marijuana. Once again, instead of turning it in for evidence, Jenkins passed it onto his dealer who sold it for $60,000 earning Jenkins and the other officers $30,000.

In yet another incident of misconduct a car was stopped and found to have $35,000 in cash, but nothing illegal. Jenkins let the driver go, but unknown to the driver he installed a small GPS unit on the car. He then had a third party break into the house and stole the cash when the owner was not home. Jenkins and his officers also stopped a suspect and took his house key. The officers drove to the house of the owner and stole $200,000 and two kilograms of cocaine while officers of the task force were detaining him. The task force then sold the cocaine on the streets of Baltimore through their dealer for $30,000.

Jenkins also admitted to planting evidence in a car of a suspect. Altogether the Task Force made between $200,000 and $250,000 in resold drugs. This money is in addition to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen cash taken by the officers. These illegal activities are now causing hundreds of cases that the officers were involved in to be thrown out of the courts.

Jenkin’s attorney, Steve Levin, seems to be implying that these crimes were a result of his time in the Marines and the death of his son. Jenkins served in the Marine Corp and was honorably discharged from the USMC. Levin also asked for leniency because Jenkins helped get guns off the streets of Baltimore. He didn’t speak to the fact that most if not all of those cases are going to be thrown out because of the misconduct of the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force.

“He and others were responsible for seizing hundreds if not thousands of illegal firearms and getting them off the streets of Baltimore City. At some point, regrettably, something changed,” Jenkin’s attorney said in court. “Whether that’s a result of something that happened during his time in the military, something during his time in the Police Department, or as a result of the death of his son, remains uncertain.”

Jenkins is facing a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. The FBI is still trying to grasp the scope of how much money and property was stolen by the officers before the courts can decide on restitution to the victims. Two other officers, Detectives Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor, are set to go on trial later this month and entered a plea of not guilty.

In all the reporting on this story there is no mention if they were also selling the equally valuable guns they confisicated or stole?

About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on the history of the patriot movement and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss or at www.crumpy.com.

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GenEarly

Baltimore=Mexico. Enuff said, conduct yourself accordingly and cya

Alan

Nothing quite as crooked as crooked cops. This POS needs to be hung.

Wild Bill

@OV I believe that you are referring to the Felony Murder Rule. Just check your Kansas statutes.

Andy Buckmichael

I have always said that when you are dealing with cops, aim for the head.

BJI

I firmly believe the many prosecutors DO NOT CARE if the defendant is innocent AS LONG AS SOMEBODY IS CONVICTED!!!

Wzrd

Absolutely agree

James Russell Bailey

What I find utterly hilarious, is it the drug dealers are being described as victims! They are being described as victims, not just by the author of the article, but by commenters in this thread! Describing drug dealers his victims, is the height of insanity, illogic, and the serious deprivation of Common Sense! I see no problem whatsoever with the cops being thieves, as they stole from drug dealers! I do have a problem with him having sold the confiscated drugs back on the streets! They should be tried for their crimes of being drug dealers, conspiracy to sell drugs,… Read more »

Rokflyer

I assume you firmly believe two wrongs make a right. Your thinking is twisted friend. A broken law has no knowledge or opinion of it’s perpetrator. When our our thirst for justice leads to anarchy then we all become criminals and we all become enforcers. I would expect more from the readers and comments than what I have seen here on this issue. The man was a common thug, his victims even though thugs, we’re still victims of perversion of the law. Rest assured he would have treated even a pillar if virtue, as yourself, in the same twisted fashion.… Read more »

RegT

As a former peace officer (San Diego PD), I completely agree with you, Rokflyer. This crew of corrupt cops only encourages people who dislike police officers in their condemnation of the decent officers who work to keep the streets safe. One of the victims, per this story, was not even a drug dealer, merely someone who had a large amount of cash on him, yet they entered his home later and stole it. If the ignorant commenters here on the list think it is OK to steal from drug dealers, maybe they also think it would be OK to rape… Read more »

Wild Bill

@Rok, everyone gets carried away sometimes!

Mark Are

Boils right down to this…why is it “illegal” to sell drugs? Who has the right to tell you what you can or cannot ingest? Who has the RIGHT to tell you what you can or cannot EAT? The reason these cops are criminals is because they committed actual crimes with actual victims. The people who sell drugs are criminals because “they” say so, not because they are committing acts of aggression by selling drugs to a party who wants to use them. People…you need to understand that NO VICTIM = NO CRIME and should be the way laws are dealt… Read more »

Scotty Gunn

Didn’t a Baltimore detective get killed who was due to testify against fellow officers stealing drugs and shipping them up to Philadelphia to be sold on the streets? Is this jackwagon part of that group?

Raymond Miller

Quite likely one of the few white guys on Baltimore’s police force and he’s a crook ? The mayor of Baltimore doesn’t have a problem with blacks sacking businesses and rioting, so why pick on this guy, Baltimore-ians love crime or they wouldn’t elect Democraps to office. He may have a law suite for discrimination, if they punish him, it has to be because of his skin color that he’s being singled out.

Wzrd

The correct moniker is Baltimorons.

PASTOR GLOCK

What a POS!!! Give him and the others life. Do your dirt while wearing a badge should be automatic life sentence.

Graystone

Might I suggest adherence to Exodus 21:24 & 25?
Punishment should be equal to the offense – but not exceed it.
The courts need to return to righteous justice.

Wild Bill

@Gray, A nice thought, but even if the non-christians would accept a religious solution, how would that equality of punishment to offense be measured… inches, Lbs, guess work? Anything that is a felony deserves loss of life, and transfer of all of the perpetrator’s assets to the injured parties.

Tionico

Greystone is correct. But bear in mind… EACH incidence where EACH individual was involved in stealing cash or drugs warrants the same sentence they would have visited upon the victim (owner of the property from which stolen) for the victim’s possession of the product, as well as FOUR TIMES the value of the product stolen or the amount of cash stolen. THAT is the biblical punishment or restitutioin. Steal or defraud someone, repay FOUR TIMES if caught, but only double if you repent and return on your own initiative. EVERY ONE of their victims now or recently uder indictment for… Read more »

Wild Bill

@Tio, So, you would have the government give four times the value of the drugs stolen back to the drug dealers?

Cecil

Wild Bill, you getting enough sleep? Seem to be uncharacteristically combative.

Wild Bill

@Cecil, Just advocating on behalf of the devil, brother.

Country Boy

“Anything that is a felony deserves loss of life, and transfer of all of the perpetrator’s assets to the injured parties.” from Wild Bill.

Wild Bill, thre are a lot of felonies that would never deserve the sentencing of the death penelty. You yourself have likely committed one sometime, somewhere in your life, or will one day.

You should rethink your idea there. Your statement reminds me of Sharia law

Wild Bill

@Country Boy, Perhaps some things should not be classified as a felony, and other things should not be a crime at all. I did not say that the criminal code should not be reorganized. Nope, no felonies here. I just like bright line rules.

RegT

May I suggest that as police officers, we were taught to behave _better_ than others, to hold ourselves to a _higher_ standard. I guess that ethic is missing in today’s police departments – and in the minds of civilians who are sometimes treated poorly by cops who should know better and behave better.

Wild Bill

The several states need less prisons and more gallows. For every criminal executed, hundreds of criminals are detoured from committing crime.

Country Boy

yeah let’s return to the days of British rule over the American colonies for punishment of crimes…..

you ought to think that one too Bill

tomcat

@W. Bill, I agree with that, sometimes people learn more if they see an example rather being told a story. For those who are too lenient to put a criminal to death may prefer the middle east method of solving the problem. cutting off fingers, hands or arms depending on the severity of the thief.

RegT

Wild Bill, Think of all the innocent people who are railroaded into prison by overzealous – or outright corrupt – prosecutors (especially federal). Do you really want them killed, or do you think it might be better if they have the time to get their convictions reversed when the truth comes out (which it sometimes does)? Do you remember the Olofson case, where his rifle malfunctioned, and was PROVEN by ATF to be a malfunction, but a bitch of a federal prosecutor (Jody Keeku) and a liberal judge forced the jury to convict because the definition (by ATF) of a… Read more »

Marc Disabled Vet

For those We trust to Enforce our laws !
They need to be held to a Higher standard than ,
common folk . They can’t claim they didn’t Know the laws.
Maximum sentences should be mandatory for those convicted .
But they still are innocent until proven guilty . No loopholes for them !
Jenkins is a Disgrace to the title of Marine !

Jericho Joe

Please do not use a broad brush to paint the other innocent officers that put their lives on the line each and every day. True these guys should be held to a higher standard. They defaulted on the sacred oath they took willingly. There should be a heavy price to pay for that crime all in it self, on top of all the other crimes. Keep in mind that these few are not the whole force nor the others across America. I support law enforcement 100%. I do not support corruption in any public servant. Guys like these make it… Read more »

Mike the Limey

Law enforcement officers, politicians & government employees should be held to a higher standard than ordinary citizens due to their position.
When they cross the line into criminality, their punishment should automatically be far greater than that given to ordinary citizens.

Andy Buckmichael

There are many, many criminal cops on this country’s police departments. They will even murder if necessary. When one is killed, I say good riddance.

Rudolph Ferdinand

There are many good cops out there; as long as there are people, you will always dirty people even cops. I know from hand experience as a youth; he planted the drugs in my pocket if not for the younger cop, who knows what would have happened to me, I was fourteen at the time.

marten

Andy, Your Police Department reflects the city in which you live. Just as a certain percentage of the population lives in the shadow of the criminal world, we can only hope that this percentage does not include your local police. A number of years ago, there was a psychological exam done on career armed robbers and career street cops. The difference was minimal with the exception that the officers wore a badge and upheld the law. Don’t ever wish that a fellow human being is killed because whether right or wrong, that death is a loss to society in one… Read more »

Narc

Hey Andy, go eat a bowl of d****.

CW3RDL

And now we have the Bundy case finally thrown out due to Federal prosecutorial misconduct and overreach. It’s not just the “locals” who’ve prove tnat “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Mike Stone Sr

Once again, decent Americans distrust and hatred for much of our so called Justice system is proven right , I think there should be “enhanced charges and sentences ” for these common criminals who cloak themselves in the “perceived righteousness” of law enforcement !

Hugo

I second that.

RegT

+1