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Former BPD Police Chief's Tax Fraud Linked To Gun Trace Task Force Scandal

BALTIMORE (AP/WJZ) — The tax evasion prosecution of Baltimore's former police commissioner has been linked to the corruption case in which detectives resold seized drugs, conducted robberies and falsified evidence.

Darryl DeSousa's prosecution has been connected to the Gun Trace Task Force corruption scandal for the first time.

A sentencing memorandum filed Friday said officers shared tips about how to get tax refunds by claiming fraudulent deductions.

According to the memo, DeSousa "deliberately took steps to defraud the State of Maryland and the federal government."

READ: Darryl DeSousa's Sentencing Memo

"A Police Commissioner who breaks the law further undermines the confidence of citizens that the BPD will follow the law in its policing," the memo stated.

Federal prosecutor Leo Wise didn't say the Task Force investigation started De Sousa's. He says investigators in both cases learned other officers committed tax fraud.

De Sousa's attorney, Gerard Martin, says co-workers advised how he could save money on taxes but that he didn't understand what he was doing.

Prosecutors are seeking a year in prison for De Sousa at sentencing March 29.

"In this sentencing proceeding, there is also a need for a deterrent message to be sent to other members of the BPD who engage in the kind of tax fraud that the Defendant was caught committing.

The IRS and FBI learned in the course of their investigation in this case and in the investigation of the BPD's Gun Trace Task Force that other BPD officers engaged in similar conduct," the memo stated.

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(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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