A Midlothian man was sentenced to six years in prison for mail fraud, federal program theft, and tax evasion in connection with a scheme to misappropriate millions of dollars from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). According to court documents, beginning on Aug. 10, 2013, Adam Lamar Harrell, 41, was an employee of VDH and on Sept. 10, 2019, became the Associate Director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services (OEMS). As OEMS’s Associate Director, Harrell was responsible for managing Virginia’s emergency response programs, epidemiology research, and the information technology systems that Virginia’s emergency medical service providers rely on, among other responsibilities. Harrell used his position to direct payments from VDH to a company he registered and controlled, Strategic Tech Innovations, LLC. Harrell concealed his ownership of and affiliation with Strategic Tech from VDH and OEMS, and used this entity to embezzle funds from his employer through two separate means. In addition to his term of imprisonment, the Court ordered Harrell to pay $6,254,458.72 in restitution to the victims of his crimes.
