Baltimore (WBFF) – Taxpayers continued to pay a Baltimore City Schools police officer for nearly a year after he was arrested and charged with fraudulently obtaining taxpayer dollars.

“It’s frustrating when you hear stories like this,” explained David Williams of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. “Common sense tells you not to reward someone who might have stolen money by giving more money to the taxpayers.”

Baltimore City Schools Police Officer Lawrence Smith is a man who continues to make news.

Smith is an eight-time state champion high school football coach who was named a unicorn by the president of the police union. He was photographed with the mayor and director general of municipal schools. But recently, it has been making news for the wrong reasons.

On September 8, 2023, Smith was arrested by the FBI. He is accused of tax violations and fraudulently filing overtime to get more than $215,000 from taxpayers.

And Project Baltimore found that after Smith was arrested, Baltimore City Schools continued to pay him for nearly a full year.

“It sends the wrong signal to taxpayers,” Williams said.

READ ALSO | Trial date set for Baltimore school police officer accused of $215,000 overtime fraud

When Smith was indicted last September, North Avenue placed him on administrative leave. But the district would not tell Fox45 News if he was on paid leave. Now, through a public records request, Project Baltimore has learned that Smith was paid through “September 6, 2024.” That is, taxpayers continued to pay his full salary for 364 days after he was arrested.

Smith’s pay was suspended, according to City Schools, under a state law that allows the district to suspend a police officer’s pay “if the police officer is charged with a disqualifying offense.” It appears City Schools could have suspended Smith without pay the day he was arrested. But the district chose not to.

“This suspension without pay should have happened immediately,” Williams said.

That means after he was accused of stealing more than $215,000, according to the most recent City Schools employee salary database, taxpayers likely paid Smith around $93,000.

“That’s more than someone’s median income than what they make in Baltimore City. This is inexcusable,” Williams told Project Baltimore.

District leadership will not be interviewed by Fox45 News. But the school system offered a statement saying, “Individuals have the right to a fair trial when accused of a crime, regardless of the news or social media headlines. Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) has been carefully monitoring the resolution of this case and taking appropriate action based on what is happening. Pursuant to the Mayland (sic) law, City Schools reserves the right to recover any compensation paid by City Schools to the employee between September 8, 2023 and the present, based on the outcome of this case.”

READ ALSO |Videos appear to show Baltimore schools police officer off duty while working overtime

Note that in January 2023, Project Baltimore first revealed that Smith was working police overtime when he appeared to be off the job. There have been Facebook Live videos showing Smith driving a boat on the Chesapeake Bay, coaching football or on vacation when his overtime forms said he was working. However, despite these videos, when Smith was arrested eight months later, City Schools kept him on the payroll.

“What does that tell you about Baltimore City Public Schools?” Papst asked Williams.

“That there really is failed leadership at all levels in the school system. No wonder the school system is hemorrhaging money and kids aren’t getting an education,” Williams explained. “What is the lesson here? The lesson for children in Baltimore City schools is that if you steal, you will be rewarded. Success should be rewarded, not failure.”

According to federal court records, Smith’s jury trial is scheduled for May 12, 2025. If convicted, he faces decades in prison.

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