Rashad Jajuan Harrison, a 34-year-old Baltimore man, has entered a guilty plea for running a felony theft scheme through his nonprofit, Bridge Links, siphoning $82,116.27 from a state food program to feed needy children and adults. Following his conviction, Harrison's sentence includes five years of supervised probation and a mandate to repay the state in full. According to the news reported by FOX Baltimore, the fraud involved submitting false reimbursement claims to the Maryland State Department of Education for days the associated West Baltimore youth program didn't operate, such as weekends, holidays, and a stretch when the program was remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Harrison leveraged his nonprofit organization to submit claims for non-existent services, claiming funds intended to support the nutritional needs of children after school. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office revealed that part of the embezzled money, precisely $6,789.50, fueled personal indulgences at the Horseshoe Casino in Baltimore. "Stealing from Maryland’s Child and Adult Care Food Program is an attack on our most vulnerable communities," Attorney General Anthony Brown declared in a statement obtained by The MoCo Show. The office of the Attorney General has expressed its dedication to rigorously pursuing those who misuse programs designed to aid those in hardship.
Last Thursday, before Judge Martin H. Schreiber II of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Harrison faced the consequences of his choices. Since his admission, Bridge Links has been severed from any affiliation with the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the MSDE. Amid these proceedings, Attorney General Brown extended his gratitude towards his Criminal Division, highlighting the efforts of Fraud and Corruption Unit Chief Alex Huggins and Investigative Auditor Amy Amy, alongside Assistant Attorneys General Ryan Cornell and Alyn Pearson, who led the prosecution.
In line with Harrison's guilty plea, his incarceration sentence has been suspended in lieu of probation, conditioned on the restitution of the stolen funds. The collaborative effort between the MSDE, CACFP program, and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates was instrumental in steering the inquiry and legal action.
