HBO 'We Own This City': Who is former GTTF detective Jemell Rayam? Where is he now?
Jemell Rayam was one of the corrupt detectives introduced in HBO's 'We Own This City' and was the last member of the famed and equally notorious unit to be indicted. The series follows the meteoric rise and fall of Baltimore's Gun Trace and Task Force where the cops and detectives part of the crack unit were all unscrupulous. One of them was Rayam played by 'The Wire' star Darrell Britt-Gibson.
The six-episode series started off by introducing the members of the GTTF briefly with Sgt Wayne Jenkins (played by Jon Bernthal). 'We Own This City' was executive produced by George Pelecanos ('The Deuce') and David Simon ('The Wire') -- and based on the book of the same name by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton.
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Where is Jemell Rayam now?
WBALTV 11 details Rayam's indictment in detail. His criminal conduct was reportedly as bad as Jenkins, but his family stressed that he was a man who was sidetracked despite being raised well. Rayam broke down after his sentence saying he put a strain on the Baltimore Police Department. "To the citizens of Baltimore, I broke the oath. I put a stain on BPD," he said. He was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Talking about the Rayam, his attorney Dennis Boyle outlined he wasn't a corrupt office by nature.
"I believe it started when he was a new officer, he was told, 'You don't involve officers, white shirts, in police reports because you don't want to inconvenience them,'" Boyle said, per the channel. He plead guilty in October 2017 for taking part in 15 robberies, invading the home of a woman at gunpoint, and robbing south Baltimore business folks who owned a pigeon store.
Britt-Gibson, in an interview with Daily News, confessed he wasn't keen on playing the role given the subject matter. “I tried everything in my power to not do this show, not because of the incredible creators behind it or the incredible director Reinaldo Marcus Green, but because of the subject matter,” Britt-Gibson, 36, told the Daily News. “I could not see myself stepping into the shoes of someone I so fundamentally disagree with everything he has done and everything he stood for and was about.”
“I thought I was being called to it by a higher power and I can’t turn my back on that," he added. "But I’d be lying to you if I said that once it wrapped, or during, I felt ‘great, it’s over, I’m done.’ There were sleepless nights. There were days when I didn’t eat. It was very very tough and I still carry the scars from it and I’m pretty sure I’ll carry them for the rest of my life."
'We Own This City' airs Mondays at 9 pm ET on HBO.
