⏱ 3 min read
A Baltimore high school football coach and former police officer has been sentenced to prison for orchestrating a brazen overtime scam that netted him over $200,000 in fake paychecks. Lawrence Earl Smith, 52, of Perry Hall, Maryland, submitted 3,330 hours of phony overtime slips between 2019 and 2022, claiming he worked at COVID-19 testing and food sites when in fact he was at home.
Smith also evaded paying $60,000 in federal income taxes over three years. The scheme unraveled as investigators found he was nowhere near the sites he claimed to be working at, and his paychecks were deposited into his own account.
U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Smith to one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $276,585 in restitution to the city and the IRS.
Smith’s scheme was uncovered by the FBI and IRS, which launched an investigation into his overtime claims. The probe revealed a shocking level of deceit, with Smith submitting fake slips and claiming he worked hours that didn’t exist.
Related Federal Cases
- John Afriyie, Securities and Wire Fraud, New Jersey 2024 · Maryland
- Mahmood Hussain Shah, Wire Fraud, Maryland 2023 · Maryland
- Alice Gardner, Identity Theft and Bank Fraud, Maryland 2024 · Maryland
- Loren Park, SBA Loan Fraud, Maryland 2023 · Maryland
- Charles Vincent Brown, Credit Card Fraud, North Carolina 2024 · Maryland
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: White Collar Crime
- Defendant: Tax Evasion
- Location: MD
- Source: DOJ Press Release
