A Baltimore City Schools police officer and state champion football coach, Lawrence Smith, is set to face trial on May 12, 2025, for charges of overtime fraud and tax violations. Smith, accused of fraudulently obtaining over $215,000 in taxpayer money through police overtime pay, could face decades in prison if convicted.
The case first came to light through an investigation by Project Baltimore, which reported on discrepancies in Smith’s overtime claims eight months before his September 2023 arrest. The investigation uncovered evidence suggesting Smith was logging overtime hours while engaging in personal activities, such as boating, coaching football, or vacationing.
As the trial approaches, several questions remain unanswered:
- Will supervisors who approved Smith’s overtime forms be held accountable if he is found guilty? Project Baltimore obtained 857 of Smith’s overtime forms, many signed by Lieutenant Danaena White and Lieutenant Alphonso Small.
- What happened to nearly $500,000 in taxpayer money paid to City Schools Police Officers for overtime during the Covid pandemic that was never reimbursed by the city? From July 2020 to July 2021, City Schools police officers worked $481,452 in overtime that the city did not reimburse.
Attempts by Project Baltimore to get answers from Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore City Schools have been unsuccessful. The school district has cited the ongoing federal investigation as a reason for not providing further information.
Credit: Project Baltimore at Fox 45