If you love music and had the chance to hang out in Baltimore 2004-2008, then you probably ran across a truly gifted artist named Che’ Ray.   This cat would come to Organic Soul Tuesdays each week and blow the roof off the place.  A typical night at OST would include Raheem Devaugn, Jsoul, Maybe Anthony David and Che’.  His career was moving full steam ahead when all of a sudden he disappeared.  What Happened???  Well on tuesday Feb 27th 2008 he rocked OST came off the stage and hung out with another OST regular,  Tamar Baldwin.   That Thursday, the two made the unforunate decision to rob a bank in Randallstown.  Ughhhh!  A very sad day for the Baltimore Community.  Two amazing art advocates made a bad choice and paid the price.  Unfortunately for them the Federal government had just created a new program called EXILE which punishes weapon and violent crime offenders severely.   On December 8, 2008 Che’ and Tamar were sentenced to 20 years in prison, no Parole followed by 5 years of supervised Probation.  Sad. They will both be  50+ when they get out of jail in 2028.

The Full Details of the case are detailed in this court press release:

BALTIMORE ARMED BANK ROBBER EXILED TO
20 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

 

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Andre M. Davis sentenced Tamar Baldwin, also known as James Baldwin, age 27, of Baltimore today to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for bank robbery and using a gun during the robbery, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Judge Davis enhanced Baldwin’s sentence upon finding that Baldwin was a career offender based on two previous assault and drug convictions.

 

According to his guilty plea, on February 29, 2008, Baldwin and Chi Ray ran into a bank at 11704 Reisterstown Road in Baltimore. Ray carried a revolver. They ordered everyone to the floor and stated that they would “blow their heads off” if the bank employees and customers did not comply. Baldwin stayed at the front door while Ray jumped the teller counter, pointed his gun at a teller and demanded money. Ray took money from the teller, and then walked over to another teller, pointed his gun at her and demanded money. Ray took the money she handed him, went back to the first teller, kicked him in the head and told him to provide more money. The teller opened another cash drawer and Ray took the money. A dye pack was included in one of the stacks of cash taken by the robbers.

 

Baldwin and Ray ran out of the bank with a total of $8,780 and drove off in a minivan. Law enforcement officers who were stationed nearby on an unrelated investigation watched as they drove away and saw the driver park the minivan. As the officers approached the minivan, Baldwin and Ray fled. Officers looked in the van and saw that the dye pack had exploded. The weapon used in the bank robbery was recovered from the minivan, along with the dye-stained money.

 

Chi Ray, age 32, of Baltimore pleaded guilty to his participation in the bank robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 22, 2008, at 10:00 a.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Baltimore County Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance in the investigation and prosecution. Mr. Rosenstein commended Assistant United States Attorney Bonnie S. Greenberg, who prosecuted the case.