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Press Release

Former Baltimore City Sergeant Pleads Guilty To Racketeering, Robberies, Overtime Fraud And Planting Evidence

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Maryland

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          Contact ELIZABETH MORSE

www.justice.gov/usao/md                                                     at (410) 209-4885

 

Baltimore, Maryland – Sergeant Wayne Earl Jenkins, age 37, of Middle River, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of racketeering, two counts of robbery, one count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in a federal investigation, and four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Stephen M. Schenning and Special Agent in Charge Gordon B. Johnson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

 

Jenkins joined the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) on February 20, 2003 and was promoted to Sergeant on November 20, 2013. On June 13, 2016, Jenkins became the Officer in Charge of the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF,) a specialized unit within the Operational Investigation Division of the BPD. According to the plea agreement, Jenkins schemed to steal money, property, and narcotics by detaining victims, entering residences, conducting traffic stops, and swearing out false search warrant affidavits. In addition, Jenkins prepared and submitted false official incident and arrest reports, reports of property seized from arrestees, and charging documents. The false reports concealed the fact that Jenkins and his co-conspirators had stolen money, property, and narcotics from individuals.

 

According to his plea agreement, Jenkins admitted that he participated in seven separate robberies between May 2011 and August 2016. Jenkins also stole dirt bikes from individuals who were riding them illegally on city streets and then sold them through an associate.

 

In addition to the robberies, Jenkins also admitted to stealing 4-5 boxes, containing approximately 12 pounds, of high-grade marijuana that had been intercepted by law enforcement from the U.S. mail, as well as prescription medicines that he had stolen from someone looting a pharmacy during the April 2015 riots. Jenkins admitted he gave D.S. drugs he stole from detainees and arrestees, including cocaine, marijuana and heroin.  D.S. was able to sell the drugs and shared the proceeds with Jenkins. In total, D.S. paid Jenkins $200,000 to $250,000 of drug proceeds.

 

In an effort to conceal his true identity, Jenkins told detainees and arrestees that he was a federal task force officer, which he was not, and told his co-defendants to identify him as the U.S. Attorney.

Jenkins admitted to obstructing law enforcement by alerting his co-defendants about potential investigations of their criminal conduct. Jenkins learned that Gondo and Rayam were under investigation from other BPD officers and from an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office.  Jenkins also learned from a BPD officer and an Assistant State’s Attorney that there was a federal wiretap on Gondo’s phone, and that Rayam was under investigation.  Jenkins then shared this information with his co-defendants. When Jenkins, Gondo, Hendrix, Hersl, Rayam, Taylor and Ward were detained in the Howard County Detention Center, Jenkins directed the defendants to “keep their mouths shut” and “stick to the story,” or words to that effect, in an effort to obstruct justice. 

 

Jenkins has also pleaded guilty to planting evidence and authoring a false police report which resulted in the conviction and imprisonment of two Baltimore City men in 2010.

 

According to the plea agreement, Jenkins admitted that he routinely submitted false and fraudulent individual overtime reports, thereby defrauding the Baltimore Police Department and the citizens of the State of Maryland.  On these reports, Jenkins falsely certified that he worked his entire regularly assigned shifts, when he did not, and that he worked additional hours for which he received overtime pay, when he had not worked all and in some cases any of those overtime hours.  Jenkins also admitted that he submitted false and fraudulent overtime reports on behalf of his co-defendants.

 

The plea agreement provides for a minimum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment.

 

Acting United States Attorney Stephen M. Schenning commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Schenning thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leo J. Wise and Derek E. Hines, who are prosecuting these Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force cases.

 

Updated January 5, 2018