Current:Home > ScamsBaltimore school police officer indicted on overtime fraud charges-LoTradeCoin
Baltimore school police officer indicted on overtime fraud charges
View Date:2024-12-23 20:38:29
BALTIMORE (AP) — A Baltimore school police officer and longtime high school football coach was arrested Friday and charged with fraudulently obtaining more than $215,000 in overtime pay, according to federal law enforcement officials.
The arrest came after a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Lawrence Smith, 49, who started working as a Baltimore school police officer in 2005. He was promoted to detective overseeing the agency’s overtime unit in 2016, according to a news release from prosecutors announcing the charges.
Smith’s case wasn’t yet listed in online court records, and it wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Prosecutors say Smith used his position to assign himself overtime shifts that he didn’t actually work. Instead, he was “at home, running personal errands, at other locations socializing, coaching football, and out of state on vacation,” the release states.
Smith committed much of the fraud during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was authorized to receive overtime pay to provide security for coronavirus testing sites and other similar locations, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors allege Smith also tried to avoid paying federal income taxes and lied on a tax return. He’s charged with wire fraud, tax evasion and filing a false tax return.
In a statement Friday afternoon, Baltimore City Public Schools officials said they cooperated with the federal investigation and have already taken action to boost oversight of overtime assignments and policies. They said Smith has been placed on leave.
“The charges against Lawrence Smith — including attempts to defraud City Schools through false reporting — are unacceptable,” the statement said. “Such actions, if true, erode the trust between the public and the City Schools employees who follow the rules and serve our community daily.”
veryGood! (618)
Related
- What Just Happened to the Idea of Progress?
- Pair of former Detroit Tigers scouts sue team alleging age discrimination
- NFL on Saturday: Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions with playoff seeding at stake
- All Apple Watches are back on sale after court pauses import ban upheld by White House
- Police capture Tennessee murder suspect accused of faking his own death on scenic highway
- Russia wants evidence before giving explanations about an object that entered Poland’s airspace
- Russia wants evidence before giving explanations about an object that entered Poland’s airspace
- Separatist Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik vows to tear his country apart despite US warnings
- Fire crews gain greater control over destructive Southern California wildfire
- Ellen Pompeo marks return as Meredith Grey in 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 20 teaser
Ranking
- Video shows masked man’s apparent attempt to kidnap child in NYC; suspect arrested
- Airstrikes hit camps in central Gaza as Biden administration approves new weapons sales to Israel
- Rihanna and Kyle Richards Meet While Shopping in Aspen Just Before the New Year
- For transgender youth in crisis, hospitals sometimes compound the trauma
- Oprah Winfrey Addresses Claim She Was Paid $1 Million by Kamala Harris' Campaign
- Separatist Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik vows to tear his country apart despite US warnings
- 4 Social Security facts you should know in 2024
- SoundHound AI Stock has plunged. But could it be on the upswing next year?
Recommendation
-
Only 8 monkeys remain free after more than a week outside a South Carolina compound
-
Revelers set to pack into Times Square for annual New Year’s Eve ball drop
-
Embezzlement of Oregon weekly newspaper’s funds forces it to lay off entire staff and halt print
-
Texas standout point guard Rori Harmon out for season with knee injury
-
Rare Alo Yoga Flash Sale: Don’t Miss 60% Off Deals With Styles as Low as $5
-
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoes bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors
-
China to ease visa requirements for U.S. travelers in latest bid to boost tourism
-
How J.J. McCarthy's pregame ritual will help Michigan QB prepare to face Alabama