Lt. Welai Grant, Sgt. Mark Rutkowski, and former BPD Officer Harrison Brandon were charged in separate cases related to wage theft
Baltimore, Md. (March 10, 2026) – Today, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office Public Trust & Police Integrity Unit announced the indictments of three Baltimore Police officers in separate cases involving wage theft. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at trial.
“Public servants take an oath to serve our communities with integrity and accountability. When that trust is broken, it undermines the very foundation of public service,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates. “Allegations that officers manipulated their time to collect wages they did not earn are not just violations of policy; they are theft from the taxpayers who fund these salaries. Our office has a duty to hold anyone who steals public dollars accountable, and these indictments reflect our commitment to ensuring that the law is applied fairly and equally to everyone, regardless of their position.”
Lt. Welai Grant was indicted on one count of Theft between $1,500 and $25,000 and two counts of Misconduct in Office. If found guilty of all charges, Lt. Grant faces a maximum penalty of five years and/or $10,000 in fines for the Theft charge. There is no maximum penalty for Misconduct. According to the indictment, Lt. Grant was promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant and was assigned to the Southern District. Following this promotion, Lt. Grant allegedly began not showing up for her overnight shifts, despite logging the hours on her timesheet and being paid for those evenings. This occurred on eight separate occasions between September and November 2025.
“The alleged actions of these officers undermine the safety of our residents and represent a misuse of their hard-earned tax dollars,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “We take our responsibility to protect Baltimoreans seriously, and we are committed to holding anyone who puts them at risk accountable—especially those sworn to protect our communities.”
Sgt. Mark Rutkowski was indicted on one count of Theft between $1,500 and $25,000 and three counts of Misconduct in Office. If found guilty of all charges, Sgt. Rutkowski faces a maximum penalty of five years and/or $10,000 in fines for the Theft charge. There is no maximum penalty for Misconduct. According to the indictment, between October 2024 and February 2025, Sgt. Rutkowski was allegedly inflating the hours he was being paid to work by clocking in when he left his house and not clocking out until he got home. A small amount of overtime was paid each day for these non-worked hours—additionally, Sgt. Rutkowski was allegedly logging in to another employee’s computer to cancel his own leave, triggering both overtime and “penalty pay,” as stipulated by the police collective bargaining agreement, for the leave being canceled.
“Two of the police officers charged today are current members of this department and have allegedly defrauded the communities we are sworn to protect and serve,” said Police Commissioner Richard Worley. “These investigations, led by our Public Integrity Division in partnership with the State’s Attorney’s Office, send a clear message that this conduct will not be tolerated. We will continue to hold officers accountable while preserving the trust placed in this Department.”
Former BPD Officer Harrison Brandon was indicted on one count of Forgery, two counts of Identity Fraud, one count of Theft between $100 and $1500, and two counts of Misconduct in Office. If found guilty of all charges, former BPD officer Brandon faces a maximum penalty of one year and/or a $500 fine for each Identity Fraud charge, and six months of incarceration and/or a $500 fine for the Theft charge. There is no maximum penalty for Forgery or Misconduct. According to the indictment, beginning in August 2024, the Defendant allegedly submitted fraudulent doctor’s notes while he was working as a Baltimore Police Officer to obtain sick leave pay. This occurred on five separate occasions. Following notification of this investigation, Former BPD Officer Brandon resigned.
An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at trial.