Members of a disbanded Baltimore Gun Task Force were frequently abusing their powers to rob citizens in their homes, according to Monday court testimony from former police detectives.
Jemell Rayam and Evodio Hendrix, former members of the infamous Gun Task Force themselves, testified against other officers facing charges in the corruption scandal, reports the Associated Press. Currently, six officers have pleaded guilty, while four of them are working with the government.
During his court testimony, Hendrix told of an incident where the task force allegedly robbed $100,000 from a safe after a home was invaded. According to Hendrix, Detective Marcus Taylor, accused of racketeering and robbery, helped stage the scenario with a body camera to make it appear that it was proper police conduct.
Taylor, who has pleaded not guilty to his charges, used his share of the robbery to build a deck at his house, Hendrix told the court.
Rayam also said the Gun Task Force reportedly robbed a married couple after officers brought them handcuffed to a police station. When the husband told officers they had about $40,000 in their house, a group of officers drove to their house and took $20,000 from them, according to Rayam.
“Pretty much any individuals we came across, if they had large sums of money, money was being taken,” Rayam said.
The court case centers around an elite unit, once referred to as a “1930’s style gangster,” that was reportedly plagued with rampant corruptions. Officers have been accused of robbing citizens, falsifying official documents and forging overtime pay while they were actually on vacation.
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