A group of five Black correctional officers at a Hagerstown, Maryland, prison says white officers are controlling the facility with a race-based “gang.”

They are accusing the “gang” of officers of discrimination, retaliation and fraud, adding that they have also created a hostile work environment.

“This is a small group of people who have exercised a lot of control, to do a lot of people harm,” said the plaintiffs’ co-counsel Thomas Eiler.

The lawsuit is relying on the statute used in the prosecution of organized crime in a federal lawsuit.

The federal class action lawsuit is being heard in Greenbelt District Court. The lawsuit names the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, the warden, security chief of the Maryland Correctional Training Center, two other prison employees and 25 “John Does.”

“This prison had not had very many Black officers until the last few years,” said co-counsel Edith Thomas. “And when our clients were hired, there was a lot of animosity — and there still is a lot of animosity toward them.”

The suit says the defendants engaged in “shocking racial discrimination and egregious harassment” of officers based on their race and ethnic background. They are also accused of creating a “toxic environment where racial slurs and discrimination against persons of color, especially Black officers and African immigrants, occurs not only with impunity, but is encouraged and coordinated by a gang of white officers.”

In a statement to WTOP, the state prison said:

“The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services is aware of the complaints alleged in this suit and is investigating the serious claims. The Department cannot comment further on pending litigation at this time.”

According to the suit, in addition to enduring racial taunts and slurs, which included messages that the Black officers were not wanted at the site and to “Go back to your country,” they were denied opportunities to work overtime.

In its Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act claim, the suit alleges that the white officers engaged in criminal activity, including witness tampering and wire fraud.

“We’ve alleged that there’s a smuggling operation going on as well,” with drugs and other contraband being brought into the prison by the white officers, said Eiler. “Our intent is to prosecute a criminal organization that has been operating within the Maryland correctional system.”

The employment discrimination case was initially filed in Baltimore Circuit Court in October 2023, but it was immediately transferred to federal court at the request of the state’s corrections department.

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