Baltimore cop who traded secret weapon and information for drugs gets 30 months in prison – Baltimore Sun

A Baltimore police officer who gave the president of a Maryland motorcycle club a ghost gun, prescription painkillers and information about the investigation of a murder in the city in exchange for cocaine was sentenced Friday to 30 months in a federal prison.

Officer Steven U. Angelini pleaded guilty in August to drug and weapons charges and will receive credit for the two years he has already served because his case was heard in court. He must also successfully complete inpatient drug treatment and serve six months of house arrest after his release from prison.

A Baltimore Police spokesman said Angelini, who joined the Baltimore Police Department in 2006, was suspended without pay.

U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander said the case was an example of how addiction can lead a good person to make terrible decisions. Angelini’s decisions contributed to a loss of trust in the Baltimore Police Department, she said.

“I’m dealing with a police officer who was an addict and who traded confidential information about a murder for drugs,” Hollander said. “I’m dealing with a police officer who sold a missing firearm to a drug dealer.”

“What you did was dangerous, and not just for you,” the judge said.

Angelini apologized tearfully when the verdict was announced.

“I put my addiction above my job, my family, my friends and my community,” he said from prison in a gray jumpsuit. “I betrayed the trust of the Baltimore Police Department.”

Prosecutors asked for a five-year prison sentence for Angelini, saying the information he shared about the murder of his former drug dealer, identified in court records as “D,” could have led to retaliatory violence, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Goo.

“This information could only be used for nefarious purposes,” she said.

Angelini’s lawyer, Assistant Federal Public Defender Sedira Banan, asked for a two-year prison sentence, which would have corresponded to the time already served.

The government accused Angelini, 43, of exchanging the information for cocaine with the president of the Maryland chapter of the notorious Ryders Motorcycle Club. The club’s leader is identified in court documents as a man named “Keith” and was previously identified by the Baltimore Sun as Keith Dockins.

According to the indictment, Angelini texted Dockins in January 2022 and offered him 90 “pinks,” or oxycodone pills, in exchange for $200 and a “ball,” or an eighth of an ounce of cocaine.

He also texted about the death of “D,” a drug dealer who court records say worked with Dockins as part of his drug organization, and repeatedly offered to go to the police homicide unit to obtain information about the investigation into his murder.

In total, Angelini sent nine photos of his work computer screen, including images from police reports and information not available to the public, Goo said. Angelini also repeatedly promised Dockins that he would get him a copy of a video showing D’s shooting in exchange for cocaine, but never provided the video.

He once claimed to have the video on a USB stick, but the stick was blank and Angelini later said he made a mistake transferring the file. He also told Dockins he would go to the store where the original video was taken and “show them his ID” to get a copy, the indictment says.

Goo said in court on Friday that Angelini never tried to get the video.

In April 2022, Angelini texted Dockins apologetically and offered to sell him a ghost gun, a firearm that cannot be traced because it has no serial number, in exchange for $300 and another eighth of an ounce of cocaine. He also offered to provide hollow-point bullets for the gun.

“Hope you’re not still mad at me, buddy,” Angelini wrote, according to the indictment. “I tried everything to get the video. But I’m still selling this Ar-Ghost for a good price if you’re interested.”

Angelini assembled the weapon himself, designing an AR-15-style rifle that could fire cheaper 9mm ammunition. He brought the gun to the Coach House, a bar on Belair Road in Baltimore where the Infamous Ryders sold drugs, investigators wrote in charging documents.

Police investigating Dockins at the time intercepted a phone conversation between Dockins and Angelini about the arms deal. Angelini met with another person sent by Dockins to conduct the deal and went with her to the Coach House, according to the indictment.

Later in April 2022, Angelini went to the Coach House and gave Dockins 20 oxycodone pills to “make up for what I owe you, brother,” according to a transcript of their phone calls included in the indictment. The next day, Angelini texted Dockins saying he was at a gun store and would purchase ammunition and other gun accessories in exchange for an eighth of an ounce of cocaine. He purchased over $500 worth of merchandise and went to the Coach Bar again.

On May 4, 2022, Angelini went to a pain clinic and then drove to a Walgreens location in Middle River to pick up a prescription for 90 oxycodone pills, the indictment states. He called Dockins to sell him the pills for $170 and $100 worth of cocaine. After visiting Coach House again, Angelini demanded $170 from Dockins through Cash App.

Dockins pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and illegal possession of a firearm in Baltimore County District Court in January and was sentenced to eight years in prison, court records show.

In court on Friday, Angelini said he abused the opioid painkillers he was given after his work accident. He said he loved his job and allowed it to dictate his life.

Angelini said his time in prison helped him recover, and he vowed to stay in that shape no matter what sentence Hollander imposed. Angelini told the judge he hoped to help other police officers struggling with drug addiction and mental health issues.

“I am convinced that this arrest was made for a reason and saved my life,” he said.

Members of Angelini’s family filled the courtroom’s gallery. His wife, daughter and brother spoke, demanding that Hollander issue a sentence that would allow Angelini to return home immediately.

Hollander said the case reminds her of Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, who was recently convicted of lying about his illegal drug use in order to buy a gun.

“This is a problem that cuts across every community, every class and every background,” Hollander said.