The leader of a rogue Baltimore police unit sobbed as he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in a corruption scandal prosecutors called “breathtaking”.
Ex-police sergeant Wayne Earl Jenkins apologised in court for the crimes he committed while heading an elite squad called the Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF).
“I’m wrong, God knows I’m wrong,” the 37-year-old said. “I’m so sorry to the citizens of Baltimore.”
He was arrested along with almost every member of the unit in March 2017.
Read the full story of Baltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force
Jenkins must serve three years of supervised release after his custodial sentence.
He was convicted on multiple counts including racketeering, robbery and falsification of records.
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.
He walked into the court wearing a maroon prison uniform. It was his first public appearance since he was arrested along with six other officers last year.
Prosecutors urged the judge to sentence him to the maximum 30 years, adding that the unit’s corruption resulted in 1,700 criminal cases being thrown out.
