According to the Baltimore Sun, two of the city's police detectives have been found guilty in a conspiracy case that is said to be the biggest in the city's history.
A federal judge presiding over the case found detectives Daniel T. Hersl and Marcus R. Taylor guilty on charges of racketeering conspiracy, racketeering and robbery. Hersl and Taylor were members of the Gun Trace Task Force, which has recently been under investigation for its connection to a series of robberies, planting fake guns and drugs at crime scenes, as well as netting thousands in unearned overtime hours.
After the verdict was revealed, U.S. Attorney Stephen Schenning notes how "their business model was that the people that they were robbing had no recourse — who were they going to go to? That’s what [the officers] were counting on." The disgraced former detectives may receive a sentence of up to sixty years in prison for their crimes.
Four officers who have been discharged from service and pled guilty to former charges testified on behalf of the government. The officers identified Hersl and Taylor's connection to heists perpetrated by members of the Gun Trace Task Force unit, with Taylor being accused of participating in a robbery to the tune of $100,000.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa admits that "we recognize that this indictment and subsequent trial uncovered some of the most egregious and despicable acts ever perpetrated in law enforcement." De Sousa also reveals how a new unit will be created to "focus, specifically, on this case and the allegations that were made, but were not part of the indictment or prosecution."
Eight other officers and three civilians have also been arrested in relation to this particular case.
