GREENBELT, MD – A 33-year-old Temple Hills man admitted in federal court to a wide-ranging scheme that combined pandemic unemployment fraud with firearms and drug-trafficking offenses, including possessing a machine gun and distributing over 30 pounds of marijuana.
Lawrence Nathanial Harris pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after he and his co-conspirators submitted fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance claims to the Maryland Department of Labor between January 2021 and September 2023. The fraud caused losses exceeding $550,000 and involved the use of stolen identities and falsified documents.
Federal prosecutors said Harris worked with accomplices who had inside access to the state’s unemployment system through a contractor, Company 1. Two of those accomplices, Bryan Nushawn Ruffin and Kiara Smith, allegedly used company-issued laptops to access and alter state databases. This included changing payment methods, removing fraud flags, and certifying fraudulent claims. The funds were funneled to accounts controlled by the defendants, often through debit cards issued in the names of identity theft victims.
In a separate drug case, Harris also pleaded guilty to federal weapons and narcotics charges. When law enforcement searched his residence on November 16, 2022, Harris attempted to dispose of a firearm and a bag of marijuana. During the raid, agents recovered three more firearms — including a functioning machine gun — and approximately 37 pounds of marijuana stored in an attic.
Harris admitted the firearms were used in furtherance of drug trafficking. His sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, November 6 at 2 p.m. in U.S. District Court.
He faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for identity theft, with maximum penalties of 20 years for wire fraud, 10 years for possession of a machine gun, 20 years for marijuana distribution, and life for possessing a firearm in connection with drug trafficking.
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Key Points
- Lawrence Harris admitted to defrauding Maryland’s unemployment system using stolen identities and insider access
- Authorities seized firearms, including a machine gun, and 37 pounds of marijuana from his residence
- Harris faces a possible life sentence at his November sentencing hearing
