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On the morning of Friday, September 8, 49-year-old Dunbar football coach Lawrence Smith was arrested on federal wire fraud charges. According to CBS, Smith misled the school about the number of hours he worked overtime and is said to have illicitly collected $215,000 in extra pay. In certain overtime duty cases, he supposedly logged in extra hours while on vacation.
As per the indictment, Lawrence Smith also filed forms that stated he was exempt from paying federal income tax. As a result, there are three years in which he supposedly failed to file tax returns. In one case, a tax return he filed turned out to be allegedly false.
"It's a travesty to the kids, as their coach": Baltimore community members react to Lawrence Smith's alleged crimes
According to many Baltimore locals, Lawrence Smith had a close relationship with Dunbar High School that went beyond his role as a football coach. In 2005, he began working as a Baltimore City School Police officer. The Baltimore Sun noted that he was eventually promoted to the rank of detective in 2016. His responsibilities reportedly included control over the School Police Overtime Unit.
From January 2019 to August 2022, he received several overtime payments based on fraudulently logged hours. Parents noted that Smith's arrest is particularly sad as the students looked up to the former coach.
One East Baltimore resident, Damion Haskins, told reporters:
"I feel for the school, I feel for the team, I feel for the community, I feel for the young men and young ladies that looked up to this man."
Another resident, Joseph Holland, said:
"It's a travesty to the kids, as their coach. They are supposed to be like a second dad."
Jermaine, another resident, said that the accused fraudster's involvement with children was multifaceted. Lawrence Smith not only taught them about football but also took part in various other aspects of their education.
"He was a good coach. He participated with the kids and concentrated on academics," said Jermaine.
In an official statement regarding the allegations, the Baltimore Schools District said that they are taking the breach of trust seriously. However, they noted that the allegations have shed light on several potential holes in the system and that they hope to change procedures in order to prevent such situations in the future.
"City Schools took several concrete steps as we began to learn more about the federal investigation. 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."
According to CBS, this is not the first time Smith has faced backlash. In 2014, he was implicated in a hazing incident. However, the issue was resolved, and he was allowed to continue with the school.
