A jury has awarded $2.35 million to former Prince George鈥檚 County police officer Mohamed Magassouba, who said he was fired after refusing to change his testimony in a 2019 use-of-force case against another officer.
The verdict, which was reached this week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, found Magassouba鈥檚 2021 termination was 鈥渞etaliatory鈥� and 鈥渧iolated his civil rights.鈥�
His attorney, Jordan “JD” Howlette, wrote the 鈥渧erdict confirms what the evidence has shown all along 鈥� the targeted retaliation that Officer Mohamed Magassouba suffered at the hands of Prince George鈥檚 County was unlawful.鈥�
According to , Magassouba, who served for over a decade on the force, was removed from patrol duties and later fired after refusing to alter his account of a 2019 arrest involving a white officer who used force on a Black woman in front of her son. The incident, which was recorded and circulated widely on social media, drew public criticism at the time.
Howlette said Magassouba faced years of retaliation, including unwarranted discipline and reassignment under a supervisor who allegedly made discriminatory remarks about his African heritage.
In a statement from Howlette, he said the incident should never have happened, but “it stands as proof that justice can prevail. We need more officers like Officer Magassouba, who put their oath to protect citizens above institutional loyalty.鈥�
鈥淭his verdict sends a message that the days of protecting wrongdoers and punishing those who tell the truth are over,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淎ccountability is no longer optional.鈥�
Civil rights leaders from the local branches of the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference praised the outcome during a virtual news conference Friday, calling it a 鈥渧ictory for justice鈥� and a step toward accountability in one of Maryland鈥檚 largest police departments.
鈥淲e love our law enforcement,鈥� said Josephine Mourning, president of the Prince George鈥檚 County SCLC. 鈥淏ut we want them to show integrity in their job, as all of us have to show integrity in ours.鈥�
The case follows years of scrutiny of the Prince George鈥檚 County Police Department, which in 2021 agreed to pay $25 million to settle a class-action lawsuit by Black and Latino officers who alleged systemic racism and retaliation within the department.
Magassouba, who joined the department in 2009, has since gone on to lead in other local law enforcement roles. He was named Capitol Heights Police Department’s Officer of the Year in 2024 and appointed as the chief of police there in May of this year.
鈥淭he department had to create a false illusion about my personality, of who I am as a person. So they were basically saying that I was arrested for armed robbery or attempted sexual assault. And everything was false, and that鈥檚 not who I am. And it did create a conflict in my household, and me and my wife had to have marital counseling,鈥� Magassouba said.
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