(AP) Baltimore, Md. A federal jury convicted two Baltimore police officers Friday for robbing drug dealers and selling the drugs themselves.
Their activities were so extensive that they became well-known on the streets for their shakedowns.
Antonio Murray, 35, and William King, 35, were convicted on 32 of 33 counts, including commerce by robbery, conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin, marijuana and cocaine.
They also were convicted for conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence and other crimes.
Murray and King were mentioned in "Stop Snitching," a DVD which circulated on Baltimore's streets warning people not to talk to police about drug activity. In the video, they were said to be part of the "game of narcotics."
"These corrupt police officers used their law enforcement powers to rob and to deal drugs," U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said. "They betrayed the community and the many good, honest, hardworking police officers who risk their lives on the streets of Baltimore every day."
Murray, of Abingdon, and King, of Baltimore, were plainclothes officers who detained drug dealers in their vehicles or on the street. The officers, who joined the force in 1992, worked in the department's housing authority unit. They were accused of taking whatever drugs and cash drug dealers carried before letting them go without filing any charges.
Prosecutors said that the men robbed drug dealers from August 2004 until May 2005.
The police department's internal affairs division started investigating the two officers after receiving tips from people on the street. Their investigation was aided by the circulation of the "Stop Snitching" DVD, said police spokesman Donny Moses.
When investigators from the FBI and the police department learned of each other's investigation, they began to work together on the case.
The men could go to prison for the rest of their lives. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz set sentencing for May 31.
Jury deliberations spanned four days.