RICHMOND, VA – In a shocking turn of events, Adam Lamar Harrell, the former Associate Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS), has pleaded guilty to embezzling a staggering $4,337,395 from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).
According to court documents, Harrell used his position to direct payments from VDH to a company he registered and controlled, Strategic Tech Innovations, LLC. He concealed his ownership of and affiliation with Strategic Tech from VDH and OEMS, and used this entity to embezzle funds from his employer through two separate means.
From January 2021 through May 2023, Harrell created 15 fraudulent invoices for services and technology that Strategic Tech would purportedly provide to OEMS. He set exorbitant and non-market prices for the various line items on the invoices, knowing the vast majority of those items would not be provided by Strategic Tech.
Without OEMS’s knowledge or approval, Harrell would submit these fraudulent invoices to the Western Virginia EMS Council (WVEMS), a regional emergency medical services council that serves as a pass-through for OEMS payments to vendors. Each of these invoices were paid by WVEMS with OEMS funds.
Harrell deposited each of the checks he illegally received from WVEMS into the Strategic Tech checking account he controlled and used the funds for personal expenses, including the purchase of real estate, luxury vehicles, dozens of firearms, and jewelry.
Harrell also filed a joint federal income tax return with his spouse for tax year 2020, falsely reporting income from Strategic Tech and generating a refund of $934. He then ceased reporting any income from Strategic Tech on the federal income tax returns he filed for tax years 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Harrell is scheduled to be sentenced on November 20 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Richmond Field Office, the IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge of the Washington D.C. Field Office, the Virginia State Police, and the Office of the State Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Garnett and Kashan Pathan are prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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