On March 25, 2008, D.C. police arrested Lieutenant Q. Harris Jr. during a routine traffic stop and uncovered a vast passport and identity theft ring that implicated a State Department employee. Harris, 24, agreed to cooperate with the government against his co-conspirators. Less than a month after his arrest, he was found shot to death in front of a church in Northeast Washington. Three years later, Harris’ death remains unsolved, and the investigation remains one of the District’s more than 4,000 cold cases.
Police are seeking the public’s assistance in gathering information that will help bring Harris’ killer to justice. Police will not say whether Harris’ death is related to the identity theft probe.
The discovery of the passport ring was almost by accident. Police pulled Harris over because his windows were tinted too darkly. Police said they smelled a strong odor of marijuana and searched his car and found 21 credit cards not in his name and the printouts of eight passport applications. Four of the names on the credit cards matched those on the passport applications.
Harris told police that he was working with a person who worked with the State Department, according to court documents. He used the passport information to obtain fraudulent credit cards, court documents said.
A person who worked for the U.S. Postal Service was also involved, Harris told investigators, according to court documents. The postal worker intercepted the credit cards before they could be delivered to the homes of the people named on the accounts. The State Department notified 400 passport applicants in the D.C. area that their identities might have been stolen.
Harris agreed to cooperate with the government and appeared in federal court in the fraud case.
Several days later, on April 17, police patrolling a neighborhood in Northeast Washington about 11 p.m. responded to a report of shots fired. Police found Harris slumped dead inside a car in front of the Judah House Praise Baptist Church in the 2800 block of 12th Street NE. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Harris’ family said at the time of his death that they were certain Harris was killed because of his connection to the passport and identity theft scheme.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at 202-727-9099. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call 888-919-CRIME (2746). Anonymous information may also be forwarded to the department’s text tip line by text messaging 50411.
