5 Convicted in Baltimore Jailhouse Gang Case

Two former corrections officers and two inmates are among five people who were convicted Thursday for their roles in a Baltimore jailhouse crime ring. A former contract employee for the Maryland Department for Public Safety and Corrections Services was also convicted of crimes ranging from money laundering to drug conspiracy and racketeering. Three people were acquitted.

Prosecutors say inmates Joseph Young and Russell Carrington doubled as Black Guerilla Family gang leaders and drug pushers inside the Baltimore City Detention Center, recruiting corrections officers and other gang members to do their bidding. Carrington also allegedly had a sexual relationship with a corrections officer, who according to the Department of Justice, helped finance his crimes.

Ashley Newton and Travis Paylor were accused of being among the officers who smuggled marijuana, pills and tobacco to inmates in exchange for money. Newton, according to the DOJ, also had sexual relationships with two jailhouse gang members. Michelle McNair, was a contract employee in the jail’s kitchen where she was accused of smuggling weed and pills.

For their involvement in the drug conspiracy alone, the five face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

The convictions came as a result of a massive 2013 indictment that charged a total of 44 people with crimes related to the jailhouse scheme, according to CBS Baltimore. The eight on trial were the few who did not plead guilty in the case. The alleged ringleader of the gang conspiracy, Tavon White, pleaded guilty.