13 Officers Indicted: 4 Pregnant by Sole Inmate, Others Accepted Bribes
Over a dozen officers in a Maryland prison have been suspended for assisting gang members behind bars. At least four officers became pregnant by one inmate.
13 officers face multiple charges and have been suspended from their positions as guards at a Baltimore jail, according to court indictment filed on Tuesday. The officers have been accused of helping members of the Black Guerilla Family (BGF), a national gang that operates predominantly from prison but also on the streets of Baltimore, by smuggling in cell phones, pills, and other contraband in their underwear.
Of those facing charges, at least four of the officer became pregnant by a single inmate. Another two officers had the name on an inmate tattooed on their bodies: one on her wrist, and another on the back of her neck. The officers also accepted bribes from the gang members that included cash payouts and, in one case, use of an expensive car.
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"The inmates literally took over 'the asylum,' and the detention centers became safe havens for BGF," FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt told The Washington Post.
The BFG is a national gang that was founded in California in the 1960s; it appeared in the Maryland court system in the 1990s and later, on the city's streets. Activities of the gang include "narcotics trafficking, robbery, assault, and murder," according to the court indictment.
Gary D. Maynard, head of the Maryland agency that oversees the prisons, took fault for the officers' behavior on Tuesday during a press conference.
"It's totally on me. I don't make any excuses," said Maynard, who was appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley in 2007. "We will move up the chain of command, and people will be held accountable."
The officers named in the indictment have been suspended without pay, according to a department spokesman who spoke with The Post.
