This may not surprise fans of HBO's The Wire:
"A cabal of corrupt corrections officers and members of the Black Guerrilla Family gang enjoyed nearly free rein inside the Baltimore City Detention Center, federal authorities allege, smuggling drugs and cellphones into the jail and having sexual relationships that left four guards pregnant. An indictment unsealed Tuesday names 25 people — including 13 women working as corrections officers — who face racketeering and drug charges. Twenty of the accused also face money-laundering charges." (The Baltimore Sun)
CBS Baltimore says "the ringleader of it all, according to the indictment, is Tavon White, a four-year inmate charged with attempted murder. He reportedly made $16,000 in one month off the smuggled contraband. Four corrections officers–Jennifer Owens, Katera Stevenson, Chania Brooks and Tiffany Linder, who are also facing charges — allegedly became impregnated by White since he's been in jail. Charging documents reveal Owens had 'Tavon' tattooed on her neck and Stevenson had 'Tavon' tattooed on her wrist."
The Sun says the court documents accuse White of running a lucrative operation: Authorities report that "White said in a recorded conversation that he made as much as $15,800 in a single month selling contraband in jail, and gang members once boasted they could turn $1,000 in profit on an ounce of marijuana."
According to the Sun, "no attorney is listed in court records for White or other defendants. ... As officials were laying out the allegations at a news conference, some of the defendants were appearing in federal court across the street. Most were released on their own recognizance and were escorted by law enforcement out of the courtroom. Their lawyers declined to comment. One of the women appeared before a magistrate judge still wearing her corrections uniform."
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