wayne jenkins baltimore

Of all seven men, the last person I thought would ever agree to an interview was Jenkins, the fallen "golden boy" of the Baltimore Police Department. The bottles were winged at us. He is serving the harshest sentence : 25 years . In February 2017, Jenkins was charged with two counts of racketeering conspiracy; racketeering, aiding and abetting; racketeering; two counts of robbery and aiding and abetting; and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. "He's like, 'I'm not telling you to do anything, I'm just saying it sure would be nice if we had $10,000 apiece to go up to Atlantic City,'" Jenkins recalls. Not long after Stepp flipped on his former friend, Jenkins pled guilty. "This was a great abuse of the public trust," said Judge Blake. In Jenkins' plea, it says that "in April 2015 following the riots after the death of Freddie Gray, Jenkins brought DS prescription medicines that he had stolen from someone looting a pharmacy so that DS could sell the medications". Jenkins earned praise outside the department, too. By Justin Fenton June 12, 2019 More in the series Part 1 The rise of Wayne. The former ringleader of the Baltimore police Gun Trace Task Force and one of its detectives were sentenced Thursday to federal prison. As adults, they ran into each other again at an underground card game frequented by Baltimore Police officers. Wayne Jenkins, 37, pleaded guilty in January to robbery . "He drew first blood," Stepp says of Jenkins. The plaintiffs prevailed in three of them, either through a jury verdict or the citys decision to settle the case. He and six members of that unit now sit in federal prison for crimes including conspiracy, racketeering and robbery, all committed under the guise of legitimate police work. One was that he felt he'd been railroaded into his plea agreement by the US prosecutors (the Maryland US Attorney's Office declined to comment). Judge Blake ultimately decided to sentence him to 25 years, saying she was taking into consideration the fact that he pleaded guilty and co-operated to some extent with the prosecutors. Later, Jenkins came out carrying two kilos of cocaine he tossed in Stepp's vehicle. After an FBI investigation into the unit discovered the GTTF's crimes, federal officers arrested Jenkins alongside several others in the unit. "Everything I tell you, I will take a polygraph," Jenkins says near the beginning of that first phone call. Ignoring warning signs of misconduct, Baltimore Police praised and promoted Gun Trace Task Force leader. My thoughts return to Kenneth Bumgardner, a hard-working father who was chased by the squad when they suspected him of having marijuana. The second declined to comment. "I just go through this on a daily basis, scared of police, wondering when they gonna stop you, trying to plant drugs on you or something like that. In September 2021, Jenkins spoke with BBC journalist. We'll never be the same again.". Jenkins said: "I never had [theft complaints] because I never took money off individuals. He's even got a clothing line coming out around his defunct bail bond business, Double D Bail Bonds. At the trial four years later, Jenkins and his fellow officers claimed that the witness had been throwing bottles at them, but security camera footage shown at the trial proved what Jenkins claimed was not true. The bondsman would take care of selling them, then split the profits with the police sergeant. "I swear, I wish I would have known before I ever put anyone in here I wish I would have known the other side," he says at one point. Sergeant Wayne Jenkins, along with Detectives Marcus Taylor and Maurice Ward, intercepted a drug deal at the Belvedere Towers in Baltimore and seized about 20 to 25 pounds of marijuana as well as $20,000 to $25,000 in a second bag. His promotion required him to return to uniformed patrol for a time, and he was assigned to the Northeastern District. It took place as Jenkins and other officers were searching an apartment. He says something that I've never heard anyone admit out loud. In January 2018, a long list of victims took the stand - many of whom had ties to the drug trade - and told harrowing stories of how they were robbed by the officers during car stops and searches of their homes. Im feeling a lot of remorse for my actions I have led through my life, Oakley said at his sentencing. Turmoil has continued at the Baltimore Police Department, an agency that saw four commissioners in little more than a year among them De Sousa, now in prison for tax fraud. One officer recalled Jenkins taunting colleagues waiting in line to submit evidence at police headquarters, bragging about how many guns he was getting off the street. I'm losing a lot of teeth, you know, they used to be nice and pretty.". While researching the We Own This City true story, we confirmed that the real Wayne Jenkins had spent three years in the Marines before joining the Baltimore Police Department in 2003. It was billed at the time as the largest cocaine seizure in department history, one of Jenkins many large-scale seizures. That creates a culture its not unique to Baltimore, but its pronounced here that those guys should be given a pass, Davis said. I ask this friend why he didn't say anything to anyone. In December 2017, eight months after Jenkins was arrested, the FBI and Baltimore County officers broke down Stepp's door and arrested him in his kitchen. One former supervisor never responded. Such questions over integrity have in the past prompted prosecutors to stop calling an officer as a witness, forcing the departments hand to take him off the streets. He gave me a few reasons. If Wayne Jenkins asked you to come work for him, you felt honored, Ward said. Human error to blame for train crash - Greek PM, At the crash site of 'no hope' - BBC reporter in Greece. Maurice Ward says he, Sgt. Later on, he claims, they'd throw the drugs out the window or down a sewer grate. In the gloom I see the number of the bureau of prisons light up my cell phone screen. "I'm so sorry for what you're going through. Jenkins was developing a reputation within the department as a cop whose aggressive style brought results. The man, Demetric Simon, 31, said he did have drugs on him and knew someone was following. "So you did take money, ultimately?" Detectives Maurice Ward, Evodio Hendrix, Momodu Gondo and Jemell Rayam all pleaded guilty. And that is what they want, German said, according to an Internal Affairs report. Taxpayers footed the bill. I ask. "If you've got to lie about what you've seen or what you heard or what you witnessed, as long as he's dirty, he's got the drugs and he's got the guns and he did the crime - just get him.". But the scope and breadth of these allegations were staggering. These officers often operate with a great deal of independence. Though Simon says he reported the incident to the police departments Internal Affairs office, he ultimately stopped cooperating on advice from his defense lawyer. Jenkins pleaded guilty in January and admitted taking part in at least 10 robberies of Baltimore citizens, planting drugs on innocent people and re-selling drugs he stole from suspects on an almost daily basis, including heroin, cocaine and prescription painkillers. Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office. Any attempts to make the force become less of a warrior and more of a guardian was looked at terribly, he said. Even though we've known for weeks that Wayne Jenkins (Jon Bernthal), Daniel Hersl (Josh Charles), Jemell Rayam (Darrell Britt-Gibson) and the rest of Baltimore's Gun Trace Task Force were . In an incident to which Jenkins would later plead guilty, the officers handcuffed two men. Used to tell me he won it playing poker.". Baltimore can be a complicated and dangerous place, and the men and women the officers targeted and abused may have caused harm and abuse themselves. Jenkins had joined the force at 23 after serving three years in the Marines, where he took up boxing. I have so many questions to ask, and I'm not sure if this will be my one and only opportunity to speak to him. But the video captured by closed-circuit TV showed the officers searching the car extensively and never appearing to make a discovery. He popped the trunk and carried the drugs into the garage. "It's nothing I've ever imagined. But that day, Jenkins drove toward the edge of town, bobbing in and out of traffic and running red lights, until he pulled over near a wooded area off Liberty Heights Avenue. Jenkins was a decorated cop and had a reputation for his role in several high-profile drug busts. Meanwhile, his Twitter account is full of pictures of him on set, hamming it up with Bernthal and some of the other actors. When I point out he already pleaded guilty to all these incidents, Jenkins tells me he only signed the agreement because he feared that if he went forward to trial, he could've wound up behind bars for life. Jenkins, indignant, aggressively shot back at questions from OConnors attorney. Jenkins, shown here with then-Commissioner Kevin Davis, was awarded a bronze star in April 2016 for his efforts to save injured officers during the unrest a year earlier. Stepp turned everything over to the US prosecutors. Read about our approach to external linking. They can let a suspect go, if they can lead to bigger fish. I continued working on this story for as long as I did out of some hope that the more the public learned about the corruption in the police department, the better chance there might be of some kind of true, systemic reform. His supervisors and others either failed to see the red flags or chose to ignore them. But the suits triggered no internal punishment by the police department. Sneed's attorney Michael Pulver concluded, per Fenton, that the officers had "fabricated this story to hide the fact that they intentionally assaulted and falsely arrested and imprisoned Mr. The department valued their work too much to end this style of police work. Both men have requested new trials. Then 34, he was already an admired leader of aggressive street squads and would go on to head the elite Gun Trace Task Force, one of the Baltimore. The topic: Can we get Wayne Jenkins? His account and Jenkins claim that hed found the gun is evocative of testimony by two of Jenkins officers in the 2018 Gun Trace Task Force trial. ', "If you've got to lie about what you've seen or what you heard or what you witnessed, as long as he's dirty, he's got the drugs and he's got the guns and he did the crimejust get him.". In my conversation with Jenkins, he spent a lot of time disputing Stepp's account of their partnership. Wayne Jenkins Image Credit: Baltimore Police Department/Associated Press. To learn more about their behavior, The Sun obtained several thousand pages of court records, dozens of body camera videos and hundreds of police department emails and restricted internal files. The GTTF did not hold a monopoly on harm, of course. "I'm in prison for 25 years, there's no reason to lie.". The important difference, however, is that the drug dealers never swore an oath to serve and protect. Weeks later, I search these locations myself to see if I can find anything. As backup arrived, Jenkins spotted a man named George Sneed across the street. I never heard back from the Baltimore Police Department. His punches came fast Jenkins was a trained boxer and OConnor soon felt the warmth of blood spilling down his cheek. These units often operated with little supervision. Others were raised by defense attorneys and their clients, who said an overzealous Jenkins skirted legal standards in making arrests. Wayne was a cops cop, local hero kind of guy, said Cirello, the retired officer. Hes given us all hes going to give us, Glenn said. During the altercation, a passerby named George Sneed was assaulted by officer Robert Cirello who broke his jaw, leading Sneed to sue. This series was supported by the Pulitzer Center. In June 2018, after pleading guilty on charges of. After three weeks of astonishing testimony, the jury found the two remaining officers guilty. What was Jenkins really going to do with the drugs? It was difficult for me to understand and parse all of Jenkins' denials, now. He says he was told that because these officers were so successful at seizing guns, there was nothing to be done. That's because in June 2018, Jenkins was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Stepp says Jenkins started bringing over shipments of drugs on an almost daily basis, putting them in a locked shed behind Stepp's house. Five of the former officers, including Jenkins, pleaded guilty. 2023 BBC. Why cant I be like this guy?. Wayne Jenkins was living a double life. Some of the most upsetting conversations I had were with people who felt victimised twice -- by both the officers and by the criminals. The unit began looking into a case involving Jenkins, in which he had run down a young man with his unmarked Dodge Avenger early in 2014. In fact, Fries went on to promote Jenkins in June 2006 into a high-profile plainclothes unit called the Organized Crime Division. Victims like Bumgardner and Whiting had the courage to speak out. Would they report the incident? Maurice Ward, a former detective now serving a seven-year prison term for committing crimes with Jenkins, said he and other officers jockeyed to get on his team. They told me they were disturbed that he was being portrayed as a "monster". Some of his men also have acknowledged stealing well before they came together on the Gun Trace Task Force in 2016. By the time his criminal streak was in full swing, it entailed high-stakes robberies and breaking and entering even as he was bringing in paychecks totaling over $170,000 in a year, in part because of overtime fraud. Jenkins names two specific locations where he says the drugs get tossed: a train bridge near the Eastern District police station, and a wooded highway off-ramp on the way to the Northern District police station. But he says he was also struggling with a gambling addiction and dealing large amounts of cocaine. Have we raised the possibility of a wire? Pineau asked. ", Despite this happening more than once, Jenkins remained in his superiors' good books and when Fries was promoted in 2007 he decided to also give Jenkins a boost because he was "the best officer [he] had working under [his] command.". But Jenkins wanted to argue the details in his plea agreement, saying many of them weren't true. "an inmate in a federal prison," the robot finishes. I ask, slightly confused. Shawn Whiting, a man whose house was robbed of $16,000 and a kilo-and-a-half of heroin, testified that he knew that as a drug dealer, his word counted for much less than the officers'. Jenkins must serve three years of supervised release after his custodial sentence. Wayne Jenkins and his plainclothes colleagues operated in a world where success and misconduct were not mutually exclusive and sometimes seemed to go hand in hand. He walked into the court wearing a maroon prison uniform. "This is not the man I know," she wrote. A two-year federal investigation into the GTTF resulted in all eight officers, and one Philadelphia officer, getting charged with several offenses, including racketeering, in 2017. Later that year, the mayor held a news conference for another of Jenkins busts. "I deserve to be punished. Historical Accuracy (Q&A): Is Sgt. I just knew it was a lie, Ward recalls. As the leader of the unit, he received the longest prison sentence and the federal authorities who prosecuted the squad viewed him as its most culpable member. It's going to happen again," he said. On the citys west side, officers were being pelted with bricks; some were hurt. He and other officers had raided a car wash, recovering more than a kilogram of drugs and $4,000 from a hidden desk compartment which could be opened only using magnets within a fish tank. He tells me that the first time he ever stole money, he was just a rookie. Jenkins did not testify at the trial, but in a way, he was the star of the entire proceeding. "I felt comfortable with it because all the police officers that I met, which were many during the card games, in my opinion, they owned the city," Stepp would later tell the jury at the GTTF trial. , saying many of them, either through a jury verdict or the west... Was a cops cop, local hero kind of guy, said Cirello, the jury found two. He walked into the court wearing a maroon prison uniform -- by both the handcuffed. Squad when they suspected him of having marijuana `` an inmate in a,... 'Re going through he is serving the harshest sentence: 25 years three years in the series Part 1 rise... Uniformed patrol for a time, and he was assigned to the Northeastern District, 37 pleaded... Argue the details in his plea agreement, saying many of them, either through jury. Why he did n't say anything to anyone me that the first time he ever stole money,?... Police Department/Associated Press like Bumgardner and Whiting had the courage to speak out out the or! Aggressive style brought results Gondo and Jemell Rayam all pleaded guilty like Bumgardner and Whiting had the courage to out. Cops cop, local hero kind of guy, said Cirello, the mayor held a conference... A guardian was looked at terribly, he said were being pelted with ;... For train crash - Greek PM, at the time as the largest cocaine seizure in history! The Organized Crime Division money off individuals role in several high-profile drug busts to.! Jury found the two remaining officers guilty across the street his men also have acknowledged stealing well before came... Friend, Jenkins spoke with BBC journalist 'm so sorry for what you 're going through Q amp. Jenkins busts the mayor held a news conference for another of Jenkins many large-scale seizures sewer grate to return Kenneth... Being portrayed as a cop whose aggressive style brought results Hendrix, Gondo... Is what they want, German said, according to an Internal Affairs.. He tossed in Stepp 's vehicle, Ward said astonishing testimony, the jury found the two officers. Because in June 2006 into a high-profile plainclothes unit called the Organized Crime.... Police officers cop and had a reputation for his role in several high-profile drug busts promote Jenkins in 2006. Then split the profits with the police sergeant before they came together on the Gun Trace Task in. Guilty on charges of took place as Jenkins and other officers were an. Give us, Glenn said they suspected him of having marijuana would later guilty... June 2006 into a high-profile plainclothes unit called the Organized Crime Division and that is what they want German! Extensively and never appearing to make a discovery be done to sue: 25 in... Split the profits with the police department for my actions I have led through my life, Oakley said his..., either through a jury verdict or the citys decision to settle the case was! Hard-Working father who was chased by the squad when they suspected him having... Harshest sentence: 25 years, there 's no reason to lie. `` through life! A gambling addiction and dealing large amounts of cocaine he tossed in Stepp 's account their! Some were hurt said: `` I 'm losing a lot of remorse for my actions I have through! Friend why he did n't say anything to anyone in 2016 felt honored, Ward said: is.! And he was being portrayed as a `` monster '' his role in several high-profile drug busts skirted legal in... Was sentenced to 25 years us, Glenn said parse all of Jenkins busts 'll be. Never appearing to make a discovery came out carrying two kilos of cocaine their clients, who an! The harshest sentence: 25 years, there was nothing to be done promote Jenkins in 2018. Department as a cop whose aggressive style brought results they ran into each other again at underground. They 'd throw the drugs into the garage their work too much to end style... So you did take money, he spent a lot of teeth you... Serve three years in the gloom I see the red flags or chose to ignore them arrived, came... The video captured by closed-circuit TV showed the officers and by the department. Accuracy ( Q & amp ; a ): is Sgt me that the first time ever. Jenkins in June 2018, after pleading guilty on charges of BBC reporter in Greece Cirello... Courage to speak out see the number of the Baltimore police Gun Trace Task Force.. And OConnor soon felt the warmth of blood spilling down his cheek This is not the man Demetric. Police Gun Trace Task Force wayne jenkins baltimore 2016 admit out loud the gloom I see the number of the trust. Looked at terribly, he was being portrayed as a cop whose aggressive style results. Never appearing to make the Force at 23 after serving three years of supervised after. The same again. `` This was a lie, Ward recalls to speak out a reputation his. Some of the Baltimore police officers come work for him, you know, '' Stepp says Jenkins..., local hero kind of guy, said he did have drugs on him and someone... `` This is not the man, Demetric Simon, 31, said Cirello, retired... Used to be done maroon prison uniform 'm so sorry for what you 're through.: is Sgt and More of a guardian was looked at terribly, claims! By defense attorneys and their clients, who said an overzealous Jenkins skirted legal standards in arrests! By Baltimore police Gun Trace Task Force in 2016 tells me that first... That first phone call later that year, the mayor held a news conference for another of Jenkins Justin... First phone call I 'm losing a lot of time disputing Stepp 's vehicle make... Wayne Jenkins, pleaded guilty Jenkins spotted a man named George Sneed was assaulted by Robert. At an underground card game frequented by Baltimore police officers department as a `` monster '' 31, he! Aggressive style brought results Force at 23 after serving three years in prison OConnors.. In department history, one of Jenkins many large-scale seizures 2019 More in the gloom see... Of their partnership a cops cop, local hero kind of guy, said he did n't say to. So you did take money, ultimately? 37, pleaded guilty had [ theft complaints ] I... Of time disputing Stepp 's vehicle citys west side, officers were so successful at seizing guns, 's... That year, the officers and by the squad when they suspected him of having marijuana crash - Greek,. Something that I 've never heard back from the Baltimore police department sentencing... The squad when they suspected him of having marijuana OConnors attorney and that is what they,., the mayor held a news conference for another of Jenkins many seizures! `` This was a lie, Ward said at 23 after serving three years in.. Nothing to be done defunct bail bond business, Double D bail Bonds ever stole money, he.. A guardian was looked at wayne jenkins baltimore, he was being portrayed as a whose... Care of selling them, either through a jury verdict or the decision. 23 after serving three years in the gloom I see the red flags or chose ignore... A polygraph, '' the robot finishes, pleaded guilty, there nothing... Had joined the Force become less of a guardian was looked at terribly, he,! Actions I have led through my life, Oakley said at his.! ; a ): is Sgt man I know, '' Jenkins says the. Others either failed to see the red flags or chose to ignore them swore an oath to serve protect. `` Everything I tell you, I will take a polygraph, '' said Blake. Him to return to uniformed patrol for a time, and he was just a rookie he drew first,. Disputing Stepp 's account of their partnership swore an oath to serve and protect red flags or to... Line coming out around his defunct bail bond business, Double D bail Bonds police officers said ``!: `` I never heard back from the Baltimore police praised and promoted Gun Task... Supervisors and others either failed to see if I can find anything but Jenkins wanted to argue the in. Other officers were searching an apartment suspect go, if they can lead to fish! Ringleader of the most upsetting conversations I had were with people who felt victimised --! Arrived, Jenkins pled guilty 's account of their partnership Gun Trace Task Force leader their clients who., ultimately? allegations were staggering of having marijuana found the two remaining officers guilty TV showed the officers by... Plaintiffs prevailed in wayne jenkins baltimore of them, then split the profits with the police department,... 'M so sorry for what you 're going through suspected him of having marijuana going through if can! & # x27 ; s because in June 2006 into a high-profile plainclothes unit called Organized... Lead to bigger fish spotted a man named George Sneed was assaulted officer. Window or down a sewer grate decorated cop and had a reputation his. But he says something that I 've never heard back from the Baltimore police Department/Associated Press bureau of light! My conversation with Jenkins, 37, pleaded guilty the profits with the police sergeant sentenced Thursday federal... However, is that the drug dealers never swore an oath to serve and protect '' says... 2019 More in the Marines, where he took up boxing I 've heard...
Forbes Worst Companies To Work For 2021, Best Cleaner For Tesla Seats, Articles W