A Baltimore Police sergeant resigned Wednesday and then admitted to pocketing more than $5,200 through two separate schemes to illegally inflate his pay.
Mark Rutkowski, who had been a 25-year veteran, pleaded guilty in Baltimore Circuit Court to theft and misconduct in office.
Following his indictment in March, he was suspended without pay.
In 2024, the Baltimore Police Department conducted an audit of its payroll, uncovered discrepancies in his compensation, and put him under surveillance.
Prosecutors reported that Rutkowski would clock into work early and then clock out after leaving the parking garage. At the time, he worked as an administrative sergeant in the Homicide Unit.
Rutkowski, 51, of Canton, would also voluntarily come in on days when he was scheduled to be off, receiving overtime as well as penalty pay — an additional eight hours of compensation.
Police officers receive penalty pay when a supervisor cancels their time off and calls them into work. But Rutkowski, prosecutors alleged, used a support staff member’s computer to revoke his own leave.
Assistant State’s Attorney Steven Trostle, chief of the Public Trust and Police Integrity Unit, said he will recommend no jail time and a year of supervised probation.
Trostle noted that Rutkowski has paid full restitution and resigned from the department. Rutkowski’s attorney, Chaz Ball, will be allowed to argue for a lesser sentence, according to the plea agreement.
Circuit Judge Anthony Vittoria will sentence Rutkowski on Oct. 19.
Rutkowski remains free on his own recognizance.
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