Man Sentenced In Drug Trafficking, Firearms, Identify Theft, Wire Fraud Cases

TEMPLE HILLS, MD — A Prince George's man has been sentenced to federal prison in connection to two cases - one involving drug trafficking and firearms - the other relating to identity theft and wire fraud charges.

Lawrence Nathanial Harris, 33, of Temple Hills, received a 15-year prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and also for possessing a machine gun, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense. The judge also ordered Harris to pay $952,225 of restitution.

The fraud and identity theft charges are connected to Harris submitting fraudulent Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act unemployment insurance claims. According to his plea agreement, beginning in at least January 2021 and continuing until about September 2023, Harris and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to defraud the United States, state of Maryland, multiple financial institutions and multiple individuals, including identity theft victims.

The co-conspirators submitted false and fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits claims to the Maryland Department of Labor, Maryland’s agency responsible for processing the claims. Harris participated in submitting unemployment insurance claims resulting in losses exceeding $950,000 and he used debit cards issued in the names of aggravated identity theft victims to obtain unemployment insurance fraud funds, according to court documents.

Additionally, Harris admitted that on Nov. 16, 2022, while law enforcement executed a residential search warrant at his home, he threw a firearm and a bag of marijuana from his room. He possessed this firearm in connection to his drug-trafficking activities. During a search of Harris’s attic, law enforcement recovered two duffle bags filled with marijuana, as well as four additional firearms. The firearms included a pistol equipped with a switch that converted it into a machine gun. Harris admitted to possessing the guns and drugs found in the attic, prosecutors said.