17 OF 19 WERE CITY COPS

One of the 17 Baltimore police officers charged last year with taking kickbacks from a Rosedale automobile towing company will not face prosecution, the city U.S. Attorney’s office confirmed today.

Eric Ivan Ayala Olivera, 36, of Edgewood Md., was among the officers and tow company operators caught by an FBI wiretap that resulted in 19 indictments of extortion and conspiracy regarding the misdirection of accident victims from city-authorized medallion towing companies to Majestic Auto Repair in Rosedale.

The U.S. Attorney’s dropping of the charges against Ayala Olivera was first reported shortly after noon Tuesday by Fox45- WBFF-TV. ^[2]

No reason was given for dropping the indictment, leading to speculation the officer was cooperating in the ongoing investigation in return for no longer having to face criminal charges.

More than a year ago, Voice of Baltimore’s predecessor, Investigative Voice, initially reported the FBI’s involvement along with city police investigating the scandal and was first to report the mass arrests in February 2011, hours before U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein held a press conference and released the names of those indicted.

REMAINS ON SUSPENSION

According to Baltimore City Police Department spokesman Kevin Brown, Ayala Olivera remains on suspension pending an internal trial board hearing, Fox45 reported today. However the city has agreed to reimburse him six months’ back pay, the department acknowledged.

He was arrested the morning of Feb. 23, 2011 along with the other officers charged at the city’s Police Academy on West Northern Parkway, part of an elaborate sting to impress upon cadets that officers’ taking bribes and kickbacks would not be tolerated.

According to sources, district commanders were asked to order officers alleged to be implicated in the scam to the police training facility the morning of the arrests.

“The criminal complaint alleges,” Rosenstein said at the time of the indictments and arrests, “that the officers were secretly working for a private auto repair business when they were supposed to be working for the police department and the citizens of Baltimore.”

‘OFFICERS CROSS A BRIGHT LINE’

“Police officers cross a bright line when they take payments from private citizens in connection with their official duties,” he added.

The indictment charges the officers conspired with Majestic, a towing/repair facility owned and operated by Hernan Alexis Moreno Mejia, now 31, of Rosedale, and his brother, Edwin Javier Mejia, now 28, of Middle River — who were among the 19 indicted — to illegally steer business to the Rosedale towing/repair facility at the expense of so-called “medallion” tow companies that have contracts with the city.

Majestic and the Mejia brothers allegedly reimbursed the officers $300 for each referral.

During the scheme, which operated for more than two years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s affidavit at the time of the arrests and indictments, the officers in question received more than $14,000 in kickbacks from Majestic.

ONE OFFICER PLED GUILTY

Last June, one of the indicted officers, David Reeping, 42, of Arbutus, pled guilty to receiving $1,000 in bribes for his part in the scheme.

According to details of his plea bargain, Reeping admitted that between 2009 and 2011, when he would encounter an accident he would refer motorists to Majestic.

He faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

In July, the Mejia brothers pled guilty as well and were scheduled for sentencing in November.

They both faced a maximum of 25 years in prison for one conviction each of extortion and conspiracy and fines of up to $500,000 at their U.S. District Court sentencings.

— VoB Staff report
 
alforman@voiceofbaltimore.org