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AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC at 410-209-4885

August 31, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Baltimore EXILE Partners Announce Results Through July 31, 2006

First Seven Months Show Significant Increase in Number of Prosecutions, Longer Prison Terms and Charges Against the Most Violent Offenders

Baltimore, Maryland - Leaders of the local, state and federal agency partners that have joined together to implement the Baltimore EXILE strategy held their second quarterly meeting today to discuss the progress of the program, the United States Attorney’s Office announced.

“By working cooperatively, the Baltimore EXILE partners are removing the most dangerous criminals from our streets and making steady progress in deterring violent crime,” said United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.

At today’s meeting, the first Baltimore EXILE Achievement Awards were presented to 23 federal agents and Baltimore Police officers whose outstanding work resulted in significant firearms cases. U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said, “The success of Baltimore EXILE depends on the tireless effort and energy of countless police officers, agents, prosecutors, and other law enforcement professionals. We appreciate the outstanding work of these dedicated public servants who are working to keep Baltimore safe.”

The first seven months of the Baltimore EXILE program have been marked by a continued significant increase in federal firearms prosecutions, lengthy federal and state prison sentences for numerous defendants prosecuted for firearms-related offenses, and successful efforts to take some of Baltimore’s most violent repeat offenders off the streets.

This summer, the program began to implement an extensive outreach and media campaign including bus billboards, radio public service announcements, and posters advertising lengthy federal sentences received by particular defendants.

Baltimore EXILE is a unified and comprehensive strategy to combat gun crime that combines law enforcement efforts, community action and revitalization, and public awareness. The strategy is based on a partnership among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, with the assistance of community activists, educators, and civic and faith-based organizations.

Firearms Prosecutions

Under Baltimore EXILE, the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are working with other federal agencies to support the mission of our local prosecutors and police by investigating and prosecuting as many significant firearms cases as possible and by using the prospect of federal prosecution to encourage defendants to take prompt guilty pleas to firearms charges in state court.

“FLIP” Letters

Under EXILE, in appropriate cases, once the USAO has determined that a case is ready to be indicted, the USAO sends a letter to the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City (SAO) advising that the case will proceed federally if the defendant has not pled guilty in state court to the mandatory five-year penalty under state law by a specified deadline. The letter – known as a “Federal Letter of Intent to Prosecute,” or “FLIP” letter – is then shared with the defendant and defense counsel. If the defendant does not plead guilty by the deadline, the defendant is promptly transferred to federal court to face federal prosecution.

The FLIP letter part of EXILE began in early February 2006. A total of 24 FLIP letters have been sent to state prosecutors through July 31, 2006. Of those 24 receiving FLIP letters, 15 defendants pled guilty to charges carrying at least the mandatory five-year sentence. Three defendants are still pending, and six of the defendants rejected the state pleas and have been indicted or will be indicted in federal court.

Federal Indictments

From May through July, 2006 the USAO filed 22 indictments charging 32 defendants in Baltimore City firearms or firearms-related cases. Combined with the cases from the first four months, the USAO has filed a total of 54 indictments charging 65 defendants. These cases were investigated by the ATF and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD). This corresponds to a rate of 92 indictments and 111 defendants for the entire year, and represents a 30% increase in the number of indictments and a 46% increase in the number of defendants charged federally with similar offenses in 2005.

As noted above, 18 of the total 24 FLIP letters sent have been resolved through state pleas or are pending. Combined with the 54 indictments and 65 defendants in Baltimore City firearms cases, the USAO has handled a total of 72 Baltimore City firearms cases involving 83 defendants during the first seven months of this year. This corresponds to a rate of 123 cases and 142 defendants for the entire year, and represents a 73% increase in the number of cases handled and an 87% increase in the number of defendants over 2005.

Violent Repeat Offenders

Under Baltimore EXILE’s Violent Repeat Offender (VRO) initiative, a team comprised of representatives of the Division of Parole and Probation of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the United States Probation Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the High Intensity Drug-Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), ATF, BPD, the SAO, and the USAO meet regularly to identify some of the most violent individuals in the city – individuals who belong to violent gangs or organizations operating in Baltimore and individuals who have been charged with, or have been suspects in, shootings and murders. Some of these individuals have pending state gun, drug, or violent crime cases. Many are in violation of their parole or probation. Others have no pending charges but have lengthy and disturbing criminal histories. The members of the Violent Repeat Offender team determine the most effective strategy for arresting and detaining each individual – including violations of parole or probation, aggressive prosecution of pending state or federal charges, or proactive investigations – and monitor the status of the pending case or investigation of each such individual.

Twenty VROs have been pursued during the first seven months of 2006. Of those, 13 have been detained or are facing pending charges, as follows:

two have been detained pursuant to revocations of parole or probation;
three have been detained following convictions in state court;
five have been detained based on newly filed federal charges; and
three have pending charges in state court.

Five are the subjects of ongoing federal investigations.

“Exiled” Defendants

Many defendants have been sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment for firearms possession or firearms-related offenses in Baltimore City and have been sent to, or are awaiting designation to, federal prison facilities outside of Maryland to serve their sentences, including the following (press releases relating to each case are hyperlinked on the defendant’s name):

1. David Brown 2. Tremaine Carter 3. Charles Garrison
10 years 10 years 22.5 years

4. Anthony Lucas       5. Robert Koch             6. David Glasscho
   8 years                17.5 years                 18 years

7. Sean Davon Scott    8. Andre Mills             9. Jesse Robinson
   17 years               6 years                    18 years

Training

Prosecutors from the USAO and SAO and ATF agents and BPD task force officers have teamed with lawyers from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office to provide legal instruction during the BPD’s weekly inservice training for all BPD officers. The USAO is also providing specialized instruction on search warrants and other particular topics.

Outreach/Media

Representatives of the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation (DPP), the BPD, ATF, SAO, and USAO have joined forces with community activists and groups to conduct “call-in” meetings for repeat offenders in Baltimore City. DPP and the BPD identify felons in the area who are on parole or probation for violent crimes or firearms offenses. At these meetings, representatives of the SAO, USAO, ATF, BPD, and DPP communicate the message directly and unambiguously that these individuals are going straight back to jail if they commit another offense. Representatives of the BPD’s “Get Out of the Game” program and community leaders also address the group, offering housing, educational, and job placement assistance to try to help these repeat offenders turn their lives around and to help prevent them from re-entering the cycle of violence in their communities. Several EXILE call-ins have already been held and similar meetings will be held throughout the city on a regular basis.

A key component of Baltimore EXILE is an aggressive media/public relations campaign to send a message to criminals and to the broader community that any felon who carries a gun in Baltimore is going to jail – that criminals will do hard time for gun crime. The campaign is designed to alert offenders to the crackdown on gun crime and to energize the community to support law enforcement efforts and, in particular, their local police. The campaign is also designed to encourage citizens to use the EXILE Tipline, (410) 685-GUNS, to report information about guns and drugs to law enforcement anonymously.

This week, Baltimore EXILE is launching a program to place “EXILED” posters announcing lengthy federal sentences received by particular defendants in the neighborhoods where those defendants resided and/or engaged in their criminal activity prior to being convicted in federal court.

The first EXILED posters report sentences received by Tremaine Carter (10 years), Charles Garrison (22.5 years), Harold Greene (17.5 years), Andre Mills (6 years), and Sean Scott (17 years). Similar posters announcing sentences received by future EXILED defendants will be posted in those defendants’ neighborhoods as well.

Officer Recognition

At a ceremony held at the U.S. Attorney’s Office today, the first Baltimore EXILE Achievement Awards were presented to 23 federal agents and Baltimore Police officers whose outstanding work resulted in significant federal firearms prosecutions. Awards were presented by U.S. Attorney Rosenstein, State’s Attorney Patricia Jessamy, Baltimore Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm, and ATF Special Agent in Charge Gregory Gant to six ATF agents, sixteen Baltimore Police officers, and one former Baltimore Police officer.

Award recipients are listed below:

ATF Group Supervisor Pamela A. Potaczek
Sergeant Steven M. Krause
Special Agent Kevin Kimm
Detective Michael Glenn

for overall contributions to the HIDTA squad and to the implementation and operation of Maryland EXILE

Special Agent John Cooney
Sergeant Tom Smith
Detective Gabriel Brooks
Detective Vincent Lash
Detective Eric Jansen
Detective Corey Landing
Detective Bryan Campbell
Detective George Davis

for their work in U.S. v. Lamont Sanders
Sanders pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 20, 2006; he is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years.

Special Agent Ram Mahanand
Detective Dennis Workley

for their work in U.S. v. Alonzo Briscoe
Briscoe was convicted on a felon-in-possession charge in December 2005 and was sentenced in February 2006 to 17 years without parole
the same agent and officer were also recognized for their work in U.S. v. Lavar Cooper, in which the defendant was convicted on a felon-in-possession charge and was sentenced in June 2005 to 10 years without parole.

Special Agent Toni Bowen
Special Agent Ram Mahanand
Detective William Bearde
Officer Michael Brinn

for their work in U.S. v. Sean Davon Scott
Scott was convicted on a felon-in-possession charge in May 2006 and was sentenced on August 16, 2006 to 17 years without parole.

Special Agent Michael Hodnett
Officer Joshua Chabalowski

for their work in U.S. v. Howard Mitchell
Mitchell was convicted of a felon-in-possession charge and possession with intent to distribute heroin and was sentenced in October 2005 to 13 years without parole.

Detective Delford Jimmerson
Sergeant Gregory Robinson
Officer Takia Freeman
Officer Telisa Savage

for their work in U.S. v. Robert Koch and David Glasscho
Koch and Glasscho were convicted of armed robbery of a delicatessen; on July 11, 2006, Glasscho was sentenced to 18 years; on August 3, 2006, Koch was sentenced to 17.5 years.

Baltimore EXILE is a joint effort by the SAO, BPD, the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation, the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, the United States Marshals Service, ATF, DEA, HIDTA, FBI, ICE, and the USAO.

This page last modified—August 31, 2006