Baltimore prosecutors to toss 800 Gun Trace Task Force cases

BALTIMORE – Prosecutors in Baltimore plan to ask the courts to throw out nearly 800 tainted cases handled by the Gun Trace Task Force.

The Baltimore Sun reports the Office of State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby found the cases to be compromised by dishonest officers.

Deputy State’s Attorney Janice Bledsoe has been reviewing cases in which eight convicted task force members and others they implicated acted as the arresting officers, served as material witnesses or handled evidence of the crime.

Initially, prosecutors estimated thousands of cases might be compromised by the officers now serving federal sentences. But in many cases, prosecutors were able to verify the compromised officers’ work through other witnesses.

Officials plan to begin vacating convictions next month as the city braces for lawsuits from people who were framed.

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Information from: The Baltimore Sun, http://www.baltimoresun.com