Dunbar High School officer, football coach faces federal overtime fraud charges
BALTIMORE -- Dunbar High School football coach Lawrence Smith, a school police officer, was arrested Friday morning by the FBI over alleged overtime fraud and tax violations.
The 49-year-old from Perry Hall fraudulently obtained more than $215,000 in overtime pay, filed a false tax return and tried to evade paying federal taxes, the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office said.
He was released pretrial Monday on normal conditions, including surrendering his firearm and not contacting witnesses related to the case.
Smith has been a Baltimore City Schools officer since 2005, and was promoted in 2016 was promoted to detective and put in charge of the School Police Overtime Unit, prosecutors said.
Smith allegedly used his position to get overtime pay for hours he had not worked from January 2019 through August 2022, logging overtime while he was actually home, on vacation, coaching football and other personal activities.
The indictment also alleges he submitted W-4 forms falsely claiming that he was exempt from federal income tax withholding, didn't file individual tax returns for 2017, 2019 and 2020, and that he filed a false tax return for 2018.
Baltimore City Schools called the charges "unacceptable," and said his alleged actions, if true, eroded the trust between the district and public. The district said it is cooperating with authorities and making internal changes.
"City Schools took several concrete steps as we began to learn more about the federal investigation," he said. "This included removing Smith from the administration of School Police overtime, implementing upgraded procedures governing the approval and monitoring of School Police overtime, and adding a business-focused employee to the School Police Office to develop improved processes and procedures."
As head football coach, Smith led the Poets to seven championships and has been awarded the Baltimore Ravens' High School Coach of the Year Award twice.
The coach was suspended in 2014 in connection with a locker room hazing incident but was reinstated months later.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
