A Pennsylvania man who aided an officer in a robbery tied to the now disgraced Gun Trace Task Force of the Baltimore Police Department was sentenced in federal court Wednesday.
Robert Finnegan, 38, of Easton, Pa., was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. His co-defendant David Kendall Rahim, 42, of Baltimore, was sentenced to five years in prison on March 9. Both men must pay $20,000 in restitution.
The pair participated in a robbery with Rahim's cousin, Detective Jemell Lamar Rayam of the GTTF, who pleaded guilty to robbery, as well as racketeering conspiracy and overtime fraud. Rayam is awaiting sentencing.
According to the plea agreements for Finnegan and Rahim, GTTF officers executed a search warrant on June 27, 2014 on a store that sold pigeons and birdseed. Nothing illegal was found at the store, but officers saw the owners had $20,000 in cash to pay an outstanding tax liability.
After the search, Rayam told Finnegan and Rahim about the money and the three agreed to rob the couple at their residence later that evening. Using police resources, the home address of the store owners was determined, and the three began watching the house to case it for a robbery.
Finnegan and Rahim were given police tactical gear so they could impersonate police and perform a home invasion. Rayam stayed outside to divert potential police who might show up. Finnegan and Rahim robbed the homeowners of the $20,000 at gun point. The three then split the proceeds.
