All language subtitles for FEDS.2023.S01E06.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

[Tavon]

Baltimore City
detention center...

Contraband, crime,
gang issues.

Inmates could order violence
out on the street.

We needed eye witnesses
to the crimes being conducted.

[informant] Not just anybody.
Can work with FBI.

[woman]

If you ever pick a wrong
confidential informer,
your whole case is gone.

Tavon was not shy
to order violence.

He knew that she was weak

and he'd move right in.

We would have physical
relationships in his cell.

He used them to remain
the leader.

When we make enough money,
I bought me a new car.

People were panicking,
time was running out.

[Sarah] So much work needed
to be done at that jail

to fix the deep rooted
corruption that was
going on there.

[informant] Everyday I prayed,
it would be peace.

So, you had to do the takedown
all at the same time.

[officer] Baltimore City
police!

I'm Special Agent Sarah Lewis.

[narrator] This isFEDS.

[gunshots]

[Wendell] July 2007,

a horrible crime of murder
occurred in Baltimore.

[Margaret] I just wish I was
taken by somehow with me.

[sobbing] It's one thing
I just wish so much.

[Wendell] Carl Lackl was
a devoted 38-year-old
father of three

who was shot and killed
in his driveway

in what was probably
one of the most horrific
crimes to occur at that time.

He should have never
died that way. [sobs]

That was a terrible way
to die.

He was not a likely victim.

There were no criminal ties

that would make him
a target of anyone

related to this type
of activity.

The shooting happened
in the Rosewood section
of Baltimore City.

It's a quiet
residential community.

We're not accustomed to having
this level of violence occur

in that neighborhood.

So, people were alarmed.

What could bring someone
to that neighborhood

to commit such
a horrible crime.

There were no witnesses
or suspects

identified at that time.

Just people responded

to apparent gunshots.

Police learned that
Carl Lackl was a witness

to a homicide that occurred
in Baltimore City.

In March 2006, Carl Lackl

was walking home to an alley.

He witnessed an actual
shooting of a young man.

[gunshot]

[Wendell] He notified
the police.

And he waited with the victim,

rendered aid to the victim
as best as he could.

But subsequently,
the victim died.

[siren wailing]

[Wendell] Carl
assisted the police
in the investigation.

And he also was able
to get a description

of the shooter in that case.

Which ultimately identified
a suspect, Patrick Byers.

And so, Patrick Byers
was subsequently arrested
and charged

in that murder case.

He became an inmate,

awaiting trial in
Baltimore City
detention center.

Carl Lackl planned
to testify in that case.

But Mr. Byers found out

Carl Lackl's identity
and where he lived

by the way
of the defense witness list.

And a few days before
he was scheduled to testify...

[gunshots]

Carl Lackl was shot and killed
in front of his home.

I was his mom.

I gave birth to him.

And I should have had
the right to hold him.

This was somebody
who witnessed a crime,

was willing to testify
and he got killed for it.

Sent shockwaves
to a lot of people.

[Wendell] Was this
the beginning of a trend

of violence coming
to that community?

People were panicking
and concerned about
their own personal safety.

The police determined

that the shooting
of Carl Lackl

was orchestrated by
Patrick Byers, the suspect,

using a cellphone that he had

in his possession
in the detention center.

Quite frankly,
the correctional system

quite simply
failed the public.

And exposed the public
to threats

that ordinarily you would not
expect them to be exposed to

at the hands of our
inmate population.

So, my job was to find out
what was wrong and to fix it.

But never in my wildest dreams
could I have imagined

the level of misconduct,

the level of corruption.

The problem is we identified
it was much larger than what
we could have handled.

We needed
a federal investigation.

I was formerly
a high school teacher

and I taught science.

I was at my friend's wedding.

I was a bridesmaid

and retired special agent
was one of the groomsmen.

And he said,
"Why don't you go in the FBI?"

And I told him,

"They don't
want me in the FBI.
I'm a high school teacher."

And he said, "Sarah, they love
high school teachers.

You're organized and you have
leadership skills."

I had never shot a gun before.

I had never arrested anybody.

But I put in an application

and ten months later,
I left for Quantico.

I got on to this
Maryland prison task force

and was working
with this senior agent

who was looking
at the corruption throughout
all of these prison systems.

We kept hearing
over and over again

about the Baltimore City
detention center.

That that was kind of
the epicenter of trouble

that was happening
at the time.

There was contraband
smuggling, violence
and gang activity.

Commissioner France
was in charge of BCDC.

He said, "We need help.

There is pervasive corruption
going on in the Maryland
prison system.

And we need reinforcement."

So, I went to my supervisor

and I told her I wanted
to open my own investigation.

I wanna focus on BCDC.

I was very excited to have my
first investigation.

Just like reading
the first page of a book.

You open the book and you

start the investigation
and you don't know

where the story
is gonna take you.

When I first started working
this case, it was just me

and I had never been
in a prison before.

I had a very
minimal understanding,

so it was a new project
for me to learn.

There was people being shot

based on what was happening
in the jail.

I was not happy

to assign one FBI agent

and then expect that FBI agent

to manage this
complex investigation.

Seemed sort of like an insult.

Mind you, I was wrong.

[Sarah] Pretty soon,
it was apparent

that this case was needing
more help from the squad.

And so, a task force officer
was placed on to the squad

from the Baltimore City
police department.

I was a correctional officer
for 20 years and I retired
from that.

And then, I was
working for the Baltimore
police department in 2012.

This jail case came up

and because I had
knowledge of the jails,

by working on the jails,

I was requested
to work on this case.

I never worked at BCDC.

I worked at another jail.

But I thought
I knew everything

that was going on in the jail

until I went up there.

[Sarah] Commissioner France
had told us that

one group of officers
there were involved in
contraband smuggling.

It was very shocking.

These were people
who had state jobs

and had taken an oath
to follow certain rules.

Your initial reaction is to go

and, you know,
arrest the people

or to stop what they're doing.

But our focus on this
investigation was to really

make a difference and to
figure out the big picture.

So, our initial goal is to
identify who was involved

and how were they
making this possible.

One of the challenges
of working

a jail investigation

is the ability
to gather evidence.

So, it was really important
in this case

that we form an ally
with somebody that

had insider knowledge
of the prison.

We needed
first-hand information.

We needed eye witnesses

to the behavior, to the crimes
being conducted.

But we knew that we had
players that where working
inside the jail.

And if they found out
that investigation
had been started,

it just would have imploded.

It would have
just been catastrophic.

I identified a member
of senior correctional staff

to serve as our informant

inside the jail system.

She was an independent spirit,
sort of,

she was a loner.

You could never be sure.
There was just no way.

But it was because I believe
that she had those qualities

that I thought she was
the best person to approach.

In 2012, I worked
as a senior correctional staff

for the Baltimore City
detention center.

I raised my right hand

in front of many people,

saying that I will protect,

serve the people

of the community.

When you raise your hand
and you swear,

you're swearing to God.

You know, and that's who
I live for.

And I honestly believe,

there's no one else
that would have taken a oath

to do what I did
the way that I did it.

Commissioner France
had gathered some
people together

in a big area.

And I remember him
calling me out

and he wanted to speak to me.

And he asked me about being

on a prison corruption
task force with the FBI.

I was overwhelmed.

Not just anybody
can work with the FBI.

He put rules in front of me,
regulations in front,

I'm gonna follow
to the letter.

Say for instance, I come
across my best friend
in this investigation,

I'mma deal with you
the same way I deal
with anybody else.

[Sarah] When we first
met with the informant,

we had to build this
relationship together

where we learned
to trust each other.

[informant] I don't
trust many.

I don't.

I have my reasons
because I put my life
on the line everyday.

So, what I do, I just can't
open myself up to everybody.

[Sarah] So, it was initially
a slow going relationship,

but I would say,
after we met a few times

we realize that it was
the perfect match.

[informant] Once I was in it
and I realized

how many people
were actually in danger
because of these individuals,

that I felt like,

I did the right thing,
I made the right choice.

The informant's role
was really to explain
to the investigators

how the operation
really functioned.

Who were the participants?

So that we knew
who the targets were.

[informant] If by any chance,

you appear to be
compromised to me,

I watched you like a hawk.

I did.

I distance myself

because I wanted to make sure
I didn't become your target.

[Wendell] She placed
herself in jeopardy.

She was taking the risk

that none of the rest
of us had taken.

[informant] It was a little
hard for me,

but I always
pretty much tried to

stay focused,

keep my ears and eyes open,

so I can hear
what was going on,

see what was going on.

It was rumored that
a female officer had a tattoo

on her body

and it was an inmate's name.

And it was Tavon White's name.

It kinda blew me because

who puts an inmate name
tattooed on your body.

[Wendell] Tavon White
was being held in
a pre-trial status,

waiting trial
for an attempted murder.

I was hoping the corruption
wasn't as bad as we were
being told it was.

But when we understood
that inmates were having
sex with the officers,

we realized that it
was absolutely worse.

I was absolutely incredulous

to learn that
correctional officers

had inmates' names
tattooed on 'em.

Absolutely incredulous.

[Sarah] If you're willing
to enter into

a romantic relationship
with an inmate,

you've lost your authority
over that person.

They now, you know,
know that you're willing
to bend the rules.

[informant] This is when
we start

looking into Tavon White,

trying to figure out
who was this guy.

[Sarah] We wanted
the informant of the jail

to do cell searches

or people searches
on the officers

to find out more about
what was happening
inside of the jail.

[informant] I remember

one day, my job involved
me to have to go

with my partner

to investigate
the allegation of an officer
in Tavon White cell.

My partner stands
at the top of the tier

and I go to
Tavon White's cell,

but he's not in it.

So, as I'm looking at his cell
and I asked other inmates.

I said, "Where's White?"

And they was like, "Why?"

So, as they question me,
they're actually walking up
in my direction.

From the bottom of the tier
and from the top of the tier.

My partner is still
standing there.

He's telling these guys,
like, "Stand down."

These inmates
were still coming.

No correctional officer
can really protect me.

So, out of nowhere,
Tavon White appears

and tell these guys
to stand down.

And immediately,
they stood down.

I've seen him face-to-face.

This guy said one word

and the whole tier...

the whole tier

was silent as if he there was
no man on the tier.

I knew he was somebody
important. I knew it.

Because that silence
spoke volumes.

[Sarah] When we opened up
the BCDC investigation,

our original goal
was just to look
at the correctional officers

and their corruption.

But the more that we learned,
the more we discovered

how important Tavon
really was to that facility

and the way
that it was being run.

Without him that jail
would not have been that way.

So, it was very important
to learn as much as we could

and gather as much evidence
as we could against Tavon.

[Wendell] We know that
Tavon White did not
have anything to do

with the murder of Carl Lackl.

But believe me, Tavon White
had the same capabilities

that Mr. Byers had

in the detention center
of Baltimore City.

[Mike] 2012, Baltimore
was like any major city
in United States.

There were some gang problems.

And gangs just aren't
in the street.

Gangs transfer into the jail

and they kinda inter-mix.

The group that seemed to have
a chokehold on out system

was the Black Guerilla Family.

BGF, the Black Guerilla Family
originated

in the California
correction system.

They started off really
as an organization

that was created to protect

Black and African-American
prisoners.

They advocated
for the inmate's rights.

They protected them
against suppressive

or White supremacist
organizations.

Sale of drugs in prisons
was something

that was not part
of the BGF philosophy
when they were first founded.

But the reality for me
and what I saw

was quite different.

They were about extortion,

assault, murders.

Sexual assaults.

Sale of drugs,
distribution of contraband.

I consider them a very
violent criminal gang.

[Sarah] Tavon was the leader
of the Black Guerilla Family

at BCDC.

He was appointed by
somebody from BGF

who had left the prison

and they put him in charge.

[informant] I started
doing my own research

to figure out exactly
what I've got into.

Exactly how do I

remain at least a couple
of steps ahead of these guys.

I never really knew
what I was getting into

until I actually
got deep into it.

Not how violent they could be,

not how they would not
even care to take a life.

And it's like nothing to them,

like, putting your pants on
in the morning.

And they still could
sleep at night.

[Sarah] One of he problems
with BCDC was its location.

It was located in the center
of Baltimore City.

But it's also sandwiched
between four different
housing projects.

Many of the employees
that worked

at Baltimore City
detention center

were from that area.

So, they knew the inmates
before they were arrested.

Whether it was
from high school

or whether it was
from the community.

The inmates would know
a lot about these individuals.

They also would know
where their families lived.

So, if the inmates wanted
something and the officer
wouldn't comply,

they would threaten them

and offer threats against
their families as well.

[informant] When I would
get to work,

I would prepare
for everything.

What if the lights go out?

What if there's a blackout
in the jail?

What do I do?

In UNA, you have to survive.

Because when you go behind
those prison walls,

it's not a guarantee
you're gonna come home.

[Wendell] From the informant,

I knew that Tavon White
had power in the jail system.

I knew that Tavon White
was able to order violence.

He was a dual threat.

He posed a threat
to our institution

and he posed a threat
to the community.

[Sarah] It was just
one example of how

important this case really
was to stop violence

either on the street
or within the jail.

[Wendell] Informant
was able to identify

the officers who had
inappropriate relationships
with Tavon White.

And it was presented to me
that Katera Stevenson
had a relationship

and that we would have to
modify her working assignments

without disclosing to her
that we knew.

I mean, there's really
no excuse.

There's really no excuse.

It was a disgrace
to the uniform.

'Cause all you are to me

is an inmate
in a wrong uniform.

There's no way I feel
comfortable with somebody

wearing the same uniform
that I'm wearing,

but your whole goal

was to have sex
with an inmate.

I did have
a tattoo at one time
with Tavon's name on there.

I used to have Tavon's name
underneath here.

I end up coming to work
in corrections

because I just need a job.

It was a job that you can
get with no...

Just with a high school
diploma, no college

and they'll hire you
right away.

And so, I was like,
"Okay, I get a good job.
I'm 20.

And it had benefits,
it have a long-ending career."

That's what I thought.

Usually, when you have
a sexual relationship
with an inmate,

you're using the cell
by yourself

and they'll put a sheet up

or the coat up
at the grilling.

Another inmate will be
looking out to make sure
no one's coming around.

And another correctional
officer will make sure,

like, no supervisor

or no one else is coming
on the section.

We learned that there was not
just sexual relationship

between Katera Stevenson
and Davon White,

it was a business relationship
as well.

[Katera] When I first met
Tavon, he was actually quiet.

His presence when you're
in Tavon's presence, like,

when he talk, it's just like,
he talks like...

I'm not gonna
say like a father,
but like someone in authority.

I just started doing
business with him.

First time I thought about
bringing stuff into the jail

and I actually did it because

I had messed up on my check
and I was short

and I needed to pay my rent.

I was thinking
about at that time,

making sure me and my son
had somewhere to live in.

I just was thinking,
"Oh, I gotta do something fast

and just make sure
that we're okay."

I knew that it was a need
and supply work,

so I just went to the store,

I bought a $39.99
bag of tobacco.

And I just bring it
in a solitude somewhere.

I wasn't pressured
to bring anything in.

I did it at my accordance
when I wanted to do it.

Once you sell it in the jail,

it either doubles
or triples at price.

Bag of tobacco,
depending on the ounces,

cost me between $29.99 to $39.

You can make, like,
$400-$600 off of $40.

I mean, one week
I made enough money,
I bought me a new car.

We realized that
the correctional officers
and the inmates

had formed this strong
teamwork system.

They were so inter-linked
with each other,

we couldn't separate the two.

So much work needed to be
done at that jail to fix
the deep-rooted

corruption that was going
on there.

[Mike] When you have inmates
that are locked up
and behind bars,

we knew we had to have a wait
to hear what they were saying.

And to get that connection
between them and the officers.

So, we would listen
to jail calls.

-[man] Hello.
-[man 2] Yeah, that's what...

Because we didn't have
the ability to go in the jail

and walk around
and talk to people,

these jail calls were huge
source of information.

They were crucial.

[man on phone
continues indistinctly]

[Mike] Every inmate call
was recorded.

I could just log on and plug
in an inmate's number

and listen to his jail calls.

[man] It is a nice car,
but I like the Honda Civic.

We wanted something that we'd
consider what we call
dirty calls.

When you're talking about
somebody smuggling drugs in.

Anything of that nature
that could help us

move the case along.

-[man] Hello.
-[man 2] Hello.

It was literally, literally...

hundreds of hours
of jail calls that
I listened to.

[man continues indistinctly
over phone]

Felt like I was just
spinning wheels,

that I wasn't gonna
get anything.

[man continues indistinctly
over phone]

-I'm going out.
-[man chuckles]

The confidential form
of sub course was giving
us information all along.

And at some point in time,

we were told that
Kimberly Dennis

is somebody we should probably
take an interest in.

Because they heard
that she was
bringing in contraband.

Kimberly Dennis was just
a regular correctional officer

who had pretty much the round
of any section she wanted
to go on.

Once we got the information
about Kimberly Dennis,

we ran that number
through the system,

then we started hearing
inmates call her
on that number.

[dial tone]

-[Kimberly] Hello.
-[man] Hello.

[Kimberly]

[Mike] The very first...call

that I remember
'cause it was so distinct,

she was telling the inmate
who made that call
that she left

whatever it was she brought
in, I wasn't quite sure.

But she left it in the cell.

They sounded
just like two people
on a street corner

that knew each other
forever. "Hey."

You know, their terminology,
"Hey, yo. I got the stuff.

I left it in the cell
with New York."

"Okay, cool. Appreciate that."

I was so excited, I think
I probably jumped up
out of my seat

and ran to tell somebody,

"Hey, we got our first
really good dirty call."

[Wendell] My belief at first

was that how correctional
officers had in fact

created their own
criminal enterprise

and were profiting from it.

I did not understand that they
in essence were acting
on the behalf

of a larger
criminal organization.

They were just conduits

for the BGF.

[informant] Tavon White,
we just started

listening to his conversations
and he had none.

He only had six calls

on inmate phone.

He already had been there
for years.

That's unreal

for any inmate,

even not to attempt
to try to make a call.

It led us to believe
that he had a cellphone.

[Sarah] We knew that there
were contraband cellphones
within the jail.

And so, our goal was

to get to Tavon
via his contraband phone.

[Mike] The FBI required
a certain threshold before
we could get a wire.

We had to get a number.

We had to get some
dirty calls to it.

It was of an utmost importance
that we get up on his phone

as soon as we could.

Because he was running
the operation.

We identify Kimberly Dennis
as a pretty important part
in this case.

She was a key ingredient

to learn more about
Tavon's operation
within the jail.

So, we decided to do
a wiretap on Kimberly Dennis

to get the evidence needed
to get to Tavon's phone.

[man]

[Kimberly]

They spend a lot of time,
especially, at the beginning
on Kimberly.

Because she was doing
something almost everyday.

And she had several people
at the BCDC

who she was bringing
stuff into.

[Kimberly]

[Sarah] We learned that
there's many different ways

that the officers will bring
the contraband into the jail.

For example, they'll hide it
in body cavities.

They'll hide it
within their clothing.

Or in their hair.

[Kimberly]

We also learned that BCDC
was unique with their
front entrance requirements

where the officers can
put things in their shoes

or in their food

because those items
were not scanned.

So, they could bring in
a lunch box

and put a phone in there,
set it on the table,

walk through
the metal detector

and then, grab their lunch box
on the other side.

[Mike] One of the wires
that we were listening to,

we found out that
Tavon's half-brother

was gonna meet one of
the correctional officers

to exchange drugs.

So, she could smuggle them
into jail for Tavon.

They gave a time
and a location

where they were gonna meet
to exchange the drugs.

So, we went out there
as quick as we could.

Try to capture that.

And setup
in a covert location.

Every time, Mike,
you and I would go out,

something would happen,
that was always an adventure.

Always seemed like they would
meet somewhere where we could
see 'em.

-[Sarah] Yeah.
-Which was fantastic,
I mean...

It usually ended up being
right in front of our car.

-[Mike] Yeah, yeah.
-[Sarah] No matter
where we parked.

[Mike] One time that we
actually watched
the transaction,

she was in uniform,
getting ready to go to work.

There's three or four steps
that led up to his porch.

The officer stood down
below him.

I just see him handing
her something

and then, she put it
in her back pocket.

Based on what we had
heard on the wire,

we had to assume that
that was the drugs

that she was gonna
take in to the jail.

We were very pleased
with how the whole thing
went down.

It was wonderful. It was what
we needed to prove

there was a racketeering
enterprise going on
in that jail.

[phone buttons beeping]

[dial tone]

-[man] Hello.
-[Kimberly] Hello.

[Mike] Kimberly was like
our conduit to a lot
of different people.

She would lead us
to one person to another

and she eventually
led us to Tavon.

[Tavon]

[Kimberly]

[Tavon]

[Kimberly]

[Mike] Just based
on that one call,

we knew that she was
bringing in a lot of stuff

as she was making
$2,000 in a week.

It showed that she was working
with Tavon to bring stuff
in the jail.

So, that allowed us to get
a wiretap on his phone.

We were very excited about
getting up on Tavon's phone.

That was the goal
from the start
of the wiretaps.

Listening to his phone

was really crucial
to the investigation

if we wanted to uncover
the full ring of people

involved in
contraband smuggling.

But then, we were informed
that Tavon was scheduled to be

moved out of the jail.

[Mike] The administration
there,

other than
Commissioner France,

knew that Tavon was a problem.

And that they knew
he was running the BGF.

What they didn't know was,

we were doing
a federal investigation.

Moving Tavon, really,
would have pulled the plug on

a ton of work
that had been done.

So, keeping Tavon at BCDC

until we finished
our investigation

was critical.

We knew that if Tavon White
go out of the prison,

somebody else
would be in charge.

And we'd kinda have to take
a step back and start
over again.

[Wendell] Tavon should
have been moved.

He had been held
at the detention center

longer than he should
have been.

But all the work

that we had done to this point

to build a case against him,

that would have been,
almost a year's worth of work

down the tube.

We just couldn't afford
to move him.

so, I talked to the court

to see when his new trial
is gonna come up.

And I managed to orchestrate
have him remain there.

We had to be
as careful as possible

not to disclose
what we were doing.

If he were aware
that we were holding him

because we had
an investigation,

there was a risk that
they would retaliate.

Try to find out
who the co-operators were.

And then, people would end up
getting hurt or killed.

[Sarah] One of our primary
goals at FBI is to

stop gang violence

and to make Baltimore
a safer place,

so not only was this
prison angle very important,

but if we could use
Tavon's phone calls

to help stop violence
out on the street,

I mean, that would just be
another bonus of listening
to his calls.

One day, a call came where
Tavon was talking
to his grandmother

that made me realize
how broken things were
inside of the jail.

[Tavon's grandmother]

[Tavon]

[Tavon's grandmother]

[Tavon]

[informant] Jennifer Owens
was a correctional officer

who had a relationship
with Tavon White.

And was currently
pregnant by him.

[Tavon's grandmother]

[Tavon]

[Tavon's grandmother]

When I was pregnant,
no one was surprised.

But me and Tavon
stopped talking,

maybe when I was,
like, three months.

I never was in love
with Tavon.

I mean, I have a lot
of love for him now.

Only because I have
a child with him.

Other than that, I had
never been in love with him.

[Tavon]

[Tavon's grandmother]

[Tavon]

[Sarah] You know, initially,
there is some disbelief.

He had the ability
to not only date one,

but four different
correctional officers
at a time.

So, it was very valuable
evidence to show

the kind of hold that he had
on these women

and how loyal
they were to him.

Willing enough to become
single mothers
with his children

while he served out
the rest of his time.

Tavon needed
these girls to run his
contraband operation

and he was manipulating them.

He used them like
he used everyone else

to get what he wanted

and to remain successful
as the leader.

[dial tone]

[Tavon]

[woman]

[Sarah]

[Tavon]

The call really brought out
all of the problems
within the prison.

[Tavon]

Tavon was in charge.

You heard it
with your own ears.

[Sarah] Tavon was not shy
to order violence on somebody

who was not obeying the rules
or who was causing problems

or was bringing
too much attention.

They would make threats
against their family

or against
the officer themselves.

[Tavon]

We knew that he was ordering
and controlling things
in the street

from the jail.

He was controlling the salt
in the community

as well as in the prison.

[Tavon]

[Mike] He had people
working for him that would

physically go out and get
people if you needed 'em
to go out and get 'em.

[Wendell] Tavon White
had the capabilities

to create environment
of fear and intimidation

back in the communities.

We would not wanna repeat
a Carl Lackl ever again.

But the risk was very high.

If they're able to smuggle in

a number of cellphones
and other types of contraband
that they were getting in,

it was only a matter of time
before they try to get a gun
inside the facility.

One day I heard doing, like,
one of these searches,

they have found
a part of the gun.

But they didn't find the rest
of the gun on one
of the sections.

They got it out of the jail.

But I do think that the rest
of the gun was somewhere
else in the jail.

[gunshot]

[informant] Oh, my God.

If there was gun in the jail,
one bullet...

and a gun is detrimental.

We don't have guns
in the jail.

So, if a inmate have a gun
in the jail,

it... that means
we are already outnumbered.

[Wendell] The whole paradigm
would change

if they were able to manage
to get both pieces of a gun

and reassemble it once
it's inside the facility.

If they had a gun, they would
have a clear advantage

over our staff
and over the facility.

It just reinforced that
we were doing the right thing.

Tavon had perfected
his ability to...

to reign in there.

I did feel time
was running out.

The majority of the officers
that we knew of that were
smuggling contraband

were females.

Tavon White had the ability
to find out what was going on

in their life at that time.

And found out how he could
help that person.

In turn, the officer would
become faithful to him.

[Tavon]

They were having pillow talk.

I mean, staff were talking
to him about who's
running things,

which shifts people work.

We needed to draw
the investigation to a close.

Because of the risk that posed
to the informant.

[Mike] The plan for this
investigation was

to find as many officers
that were involved in this
corruption as possible.

Find as many inmates that were
involved in this as possible.

Planning the arrest
was a major undertaking

just based on the number
of people that were
being arrested.

25 people, 13 of which
were correctional officers.

We needed to arrest
the inmates,

the officerso n the outside,
the players at the same time.

So that nobody could tip
the person off.

So, there was a lot
of pressure.

It seemed like
it was yesterday.

Everything comes flowing back
to you right away.

Once they called us
and told us it was time to go,

we got in our vehicles
and we rolled right down
to Kimberly's apartment.

When we knocked on the door,
we didn't get a response.

We heard talking, so we knew
people were in there.

We'd consider
a high-risk entry because

her boyfriend might
have been armed.

So, we used the ram one time

and the door popped open
and that's when we went in.

We're yelling for Kimberly
to come out.

And then, her boyfriend ducked
into the bathroom real quick

and tried to flush some drugs
down the toilet.

Kimberly complied and she was
pretty non-chalant.

I let her know then
that this isn't the city,

and this isn't the state,

this is the FBI.

Her demeanor changed.

She just...
There was no smile.

There was
a blank look, like...

"What's gonna happen next?"

[siren wails]

[Katera] They came
to my house.

They didn't make
a whole bunch of noise

'Cause my neighbor
had let them know
that my two kids was asleep.

And they let me call
my mother, come pick them up.

They let me put 'em
in my mother's car.

Put their bags into
my mother's car.

And then, they handcuffed me.

I actually felt relieved.

Because then, I knew, like,
"Oh, I'm not gonna be
doing this no more."

I just felt like...

[sighs in relief] You know
what I mean? It's over now.

I wasn't expecting a
court date that day
but I do know that

one way or another,
you're gonna have to reap

the repercussions
from doing bad things.

Like, you have to answer
to stuff that you do.

[informant] In the jail,

it was done wee, wee, wee
hours early in the morning.

Cells was popped.

Went in.

They woke up to a flashlight
in their face.

Someone was even caught
with cellphones at their ears.

[Mike] There was, like,
20 or 30 of them.

They were lined up
in the hallway.

And that's the first time
I physically saw Tavon White
from head to toe.

And I was amazed
at how little he was.

How short he was.

You would think,
he was like, 6'4", 280.

And he's maybe, 5'8", 5'9".

And I'm thinking,
"How does this guy

run the BGF."

I just remember once we
arrested the last person,

just feeling this really great
sense of accomplishment.

I felt like I deserve
to be at the FBI.

And it was just
a really great feeling.

It was really exciting
when we found out

that Tavon was one
of the very first people

to offer to co-operate.

It was like
a mini victory. Right?

Because he was the king
of the castle.

And he was gonna come in
and tell us the secrets.

[officer] Baltimore City
police!

[Sarah] Based on the evidence
that we got,

we were able to do
a second indictment.

And arrest an additional
19 people,

14 of which were
correctional officers.

[officer] Behind! Come on!

[Mike] I was so happy for her,
proud of her that

all the hard work she did,

that we got the conclusion
we were after.

You know, I'm sure
I gave her a hug

'cause it was a long fight,
but we made it.

In total, this investigation,
we indicted 44 individuals

and 41 of those were
found guilty or plead guilty.

Tavon White was sentenced
to 12 years in federal prison

in 2015.

[Katera] I got a sentence
to 24 months.

I have hit rock bottom.

But I definitely would not
take back my past

because my past is who makes
me who I am today.

I'm actually about to be
in LPN program

to get my license
in practitioner nurse.

I'm just working on
a better me.

[informant] I took
a lot of risk.

I mean, I've had threats
made on my life.

But it didn't matter
'cause I did the right thing,
I made the right choice.

End of the day, I'd rather
stand for something

than fall for anything.

And I'm gonna stand
for what I believe in.

[Mike] Sometime in 2015,

the governor commanded
that BCDC to be shut down

and eventually, tore down.

And that's what happened.

My personal opinion was...

It needed to go because
of what it represented.

So, I wasn't sad
to see it go at all.

[Sarah] After this
investigation concluded,

the Department
Of Public Safety
And Correctional Services

started major reform
in Maryland.

Prior to this investigation,

phones in a jail
were a misdemeanor

and afterwards, it became
a felony with an automatic
five-year penalty.

So, that was huge.

[Wendell] The homicide
of Carl Lackl suggested

that we needed to shut down
the use of cellphones

that were being
used to intimidate,

threaten people
back in the community.

And while we
could not determine

if Tavon White was involved
in ordering any homicides

from in the detention center,

this investigation created

a new awareness
to the problem.

It really had a ripple effect

in helping to stem the tide
of violence

both inside the prison system
and back in the communities.