2 Baltimore Police detectives convicted in corruption scandal

A police car at night.
(Image credit: iStockphoto)

Two Baltimore Police detectives involved in a major corruption scandal were found guilty Monday of racketeering conspiracy, racketeering, and robbery.

The men, Daniel T. Hersl, 48, and Marcus R. Taylor, 31, were part of the Gun Trace Task Force. Prosecutors said the men used their authority as police officers to steal money from citizens. "Their business model was that the people that they were robbing had no recourse — who were they going to go to?" acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Schenning said after the verdict. "That's what [the officers] were counting on." Hersl and Taylor each face maximum sentences of 60 years in prison.

During the trial, four officers who had previously pleaded guilty in the case testified for the government, saying Hersl and Taylor were part of a group of officers who agreed to steal money and share it, and also covered up for each other when they received thousands of dollars in overtime pay they didn't earn, The Baltimore Sun reports. While on the stand, several witnesses spoke about wrongdoing by 12 other officers who have not been charged; federal prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing and would not comment on any further indictments. So far, prosecutors have dropped or vacated the convictions in at least 125 cases involving the officers.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.