Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to $82,000 Fraud in State Food Program

A Baltimore man has pleaded guilty to a felony theft scheme after fraudulently claiming more than $82,000 in reimbursements from Maryland’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Rashad Jajuan Harrison, 34, submitted false claims through his nonprofit organization, Bridge Links, which was contracted to provide meals to students in an afterschool program. He sought reimbursements for days when the program was not in session, including weekends, holidays, and a three-month period when the program operated remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harrison received $82,116.27 in fraudulent payments from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Investigators determined that he used some of these funds for personal expenses, including over $6,700 spent at the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore. Bridge Links is no longer affiliated with MSDE or CACFP.

On February 13, 2025, Harrison pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to a felony theft scheme involving amounts between $25,000 and $100,000. Judge Martin H. Schreiber II sentenced him to five years of incarceration, fully suspended in favor of five years of supervised probation. As part of his sentence, Harrison must repay the full amount of $82,116.27 in restitution to the state.

Attorney General Anthony G. Brown condemned the theft, emphasizing that fraud against public food assistance programs directly harms vulnerable communities. The case was prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General’s Fraud and Corruption Unit, with support from the MSDE and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors.

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