A man from Temple Hills, Maryland, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for crimes involving drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and fraud related to COVID-19 unemployment insurance. Lawrence Nathanial Harris, 33, will also serve three years of supervised release and must pay $952,225 in restitution.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland, along with officials from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Baltimore Field Office, and Prince George’s County Police Department.
According to court documents and Harris’s plea agreement, he participated in a scheme from January 2021 through September 2023 that involved submitting fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The scheme resulted in losses exceeding $950,000 to government agencies and financial institutions. Harris used debit cards issued in the names of identity theft victims to obtain funds obtained through fraudulent claims.
Harris also admitted that during a search at his residence on November 16, 2022, he threw a firearm and marijuana out of his room as law enforcement executed a warrant. Authorities found two duffle bags filled with marijuana and four additional firearms in his attic. One pistol had been modified into a machine gun. Harris acknowledged possessing these weapons and drugs as part of his drug-trafficking activities.
The investigation was conducted by an interagency team as part of the District of Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force. This strike force is one of five across the United States created by the Department of Justice to address large-scale pandemic relief fraud schemes targeting programs like those established under the CARES Act. More information about efforts against pandemic-related fraud can be found at https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which brings together law enforcement agencies at all levels to reduce violent crime and gun violence through strategic enforcement priorities and community partnerships, was also involved in this case.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended DOL-OIG, ATF, FBI, PGPD investigators, as well as the Maryland Department of Labor for their assistance. She thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Harry M. Gruber, Joseph L. Wenner, Christopher Sarma; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanay Mitchell; Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber; and recognized the work done by the Maryland COVID-19 Strike Force.
Additional resources about reporting fraud or learning more about initiatives are available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md.
