Aberdeen, Edgewood Residents Indicted in Baltimore's Black Guerrilla Bust

Two Harford County residents were among 19 people indicted on federal charges in illegal activity tied to the Black Guerrilla Family at the Baltimore City Detention Center, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. 

The Black Guerrilla Family is a "nationwide gang operating in prisons" that is now "on the streets of cities in Maryland...[and] increasingly involved in criminal activity," according to the indictments, which were handed down Nov. 5 and unsealed Thursday.

Sgt. Derrick Jones, 41, of Aberdeen, and Sgt. Michelle Ricks, 43, of Edgewood, were charged with racketeering conspiracy and drug conspiracy in connection with activities at the Baltimore City Detention Center, where they were correctional officers, according to an affidavit from the U.S. District Court for the State of Maryland and the FBI.

Search warrants were executed Thursday morning for their residences, according to the affidavit.

Jones, of the 500 block of Seven Trails in Aberdeen, was accused of smuggling contraband into the Baltimore jail in exchange for money. According to the affidavit, he was a K9 officer who smuggled a combination of three types of items for $500 into the Baltimore City jail in 2012, hiding them in his work vest. He reportedly met with inmates' friends or families to get the contraband—which was not specified, with the exception of cell phones.

One inmate said in a wiretapped conversation: "My homeboy Jones...he bring me all my phones," the affidavit said.

Another informant reportedly said Jones was "very careful about his smuggling business," using a blocked phone number and insisting on cash payment instead of another system called "Green Dot" that prisoners and other officers used.

Court documents stated that Jones, a member of the Army reserves, deployed to Afghanistan in summer 2013. His permanent address was in Aberdeen, and he remained employed by the state's Department of Corrections.

Employees who were indicted Thursday have been placed on administrative leave without pay, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services said.

Ricks, of the 900 block of North Angel Valley Court, was reportedly a member of the Black Guerrilla Family, according to the affidavit.

As a correctional officer with allegiances to the gang, Ricks was accused of telling inmates in advance about searches and charging inmates' cell phones for them.

She reportedly had sex with a fellow member of the Black Guerrilla Family (BGF) who was an inmate. An informant "saw Ricks go into a cell with a known BGF member, and put the sheets over the bars for privacy," court documents said. "...This was done by inmates when they had sex in their cells."

In addition, Ricks distributed contraband among inmates and "on rare occasions" brought drugs into the detention center, according to the affidavit. She "tried to hook up inmates to her son outside the jail, who could supply narcotics," according to the affidavit.

Ricks and Jones were two of 14 correctional officers indicted Thursday. One contract officer was also indicted, according to the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Some of the others indicted on federal racketeering charges were accused of money laundering and bribery, resulting in the forfeiture of several automobiles, including a BMW and Mercedes, according to the indictment.

In all, the federal investigation has resulted in the indictment of 44 individuals allegedly tied to the Black Guerrilla Family; of those, 27 were correctional officers, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

For the past three years, a Maryland task force has been meeting regularly to investigate corruption within the system and develop prison reforms, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

“While our work continues, those indicted out of the task force’s efforts do not represent the overwhelming majority of honest and hardworking correctional officers working every day to keep our institutions safe," Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Gary Maynard said.

The FBI, Baltimore City Police Department, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, among other agencies, partnered in the investigation.