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Feb 8, 2014: Baltimore jail cracks down on contraband cellphones

“....Not only are we seeking to improve security here in the prisons, but we are also seeking to improve security throughout our state,” said Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) at a press conference at the Baltimore jail Friday morning. “These are pretty deadly instruments for gangs to use to intimidate witnesses on the outside, to order hits on rival gangs.”

.....The need to crackdown on contraband cellphones has intensified with exposure of the workings of the Black Guerilla Family, a prison gang that’s also known as BGF. The gang blossomed in Maryland’s correctional facilities around 2008, thanks in part to the “proliferation of cell phones inside of prisons,” according to a November indictment.

The gang collected dues, along with a tax on drugs and other contraband that was smuggled into the jail, all of which was overseen by a “Minister of Finance,” according to the indictment. A gang leader, Tavon White, impregnated four female guards — one was impregnated twice — during a three-year stay, according to the indictment. Two guards had “Tavon” tattooed on their bodies.

The indictment states that BGF members and associates engaged in criminal activities “including, but not limited to, trafficking in controlled substances, bribery, extortion, money laundering, obstruction of justice, assault, robbery, murder and witness retaliation.”....."