NC State Director Fired After Man With Same Name Arrested In LA

by Sharelle Burt

June 19, 2024

Classic case of changing faces maybe?

The human resources director for the North Carolina Department of Revenue, Harlan Frye, was recently fired because a man with the same name was arrested in Los Angeles. 

Several people contracted WRAL in Raleigh after a man named Harlan Frye with a Greensboro address was arrested in Long Beach, California, facing felony charges of “Arranging a Meeting with a Child for Lewd Purposes.” That person was booked on June 9 and was later released on June 13. 

According to records, the agency confirmed Frye, 62,  held the position of HR Director from April 2022 up until he was fired on June 10 – the day after the man’s arrest. It has not been confirmed if the director is the one arrested. 

Long Beach Police responded to a report of a man who arranged to meet a minor at approximately 7:30 p.m. on June 9. Frye assumed he was meeting with a minor, but met a “cyber vigilante,” pretending to be a minor online. Law enforcement was called as soon as the meeting was arranged and Frye was arrested. 

Several reports have come in regarding state and federal officials being accused of engaging in lewd actions with a child or trafficking. According to WSB-TV, in November 2023, a U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) official was named as one of the detainees arrested during a human trafficking operation in Coweta County, Georgia. Stephen Hovanic, who was the Chief of Staff for the DoDEA Americas since 2010, was arrested and faces charges including prostitution, pandering, pimping and drug charges.

DoDEA is one of two federally operated school districts, overseeing education from Pre-K to 12th grade for the Department of Defense. As the agency operates 160 schools in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, Hovanic served schools located in the Americas. After the agency received news of the arrest, a statement was released. “We are aware of an alleged incident involving a DoDEA employee in the Americas Region. As there are ongoing legal processes, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time,” the statement read. 

“Any questions regarding the incident should be directed to the local law enforcement agency involved.”