A D.C. Superior Court judge signed arrest warrants on August 18, 2026, for six current and former members of the Metropolitan Police Department's Fifth District, accusing them of fraudulently claiming overtime and regular-duty hours they did not work in 2024. The warrants target Peter Sheldon, Frantz Fulcher, Thomas Krmenec, Bernadette Richardson, Dorrie Smith Cleere, and Johnnie Dyer.
The six face charges of first-degree fraud, first-degree theft, forgery, and uttering (knowingly passing off a forged or fraudulent document as genuine). U.S. Attorney for the DC Jeanine Pirro announced the action, stating: "Every day, we rely on law enforcement to uphold the public's trust. These MPD members betrayed that trust by scheming to collect unearned, undeserved income, costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. They will be held accountable, and my office remains focused on rooting out fraud and protecting the American taxpayer."
According to an announcement from D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb's office, the scheme cost District taxpayers $441,137 in fraudulent pay during 2024 alone. The individuals and alleged amounts are:
- Former Sergeant Frantz Fulcher: $174,915.39
- Officer Thomas Krmenec: $89,478.00
- Officer Dorrie Smith Cleere: $87,397.65
- Former Senior Police Officer Bernadette Richardson: $43,351.68
- Johnnie Dyer (civilian): $27,721.59
- Former Lieutenant Peter Sheldon: $18,272.72
Prosecutors say the defendants, assigned to the Fifth District Administrative Office, submitted false claims through MPD's Timesheet Manager Application. Methods allegedly included claiming overtime while physically outside the District of Columbia (including during domestic and international travel), while on annual leave, forging supervisory signatures on authorization forms, and using administrative positions to facilitate fraudulent processing and approvals. Some also allegedly claimed compensation while engaged in secondary employment.
Investigators reconstructed activities using a wide array of independent data sources: body-worn camera footage, radio and GPS records, cell-site location data, cellular toll records, license plate reader data, annual leave and travel records, emails, network data, access logs, personnel files, and overtime documentation. These records demonstrated repeated and deliberate falsification. Collectively, the six submitted more than 11,000 hours and were paid over $935,000 in 2024; investigators determined roughly half of those hours - about 5,618 - were fraudulent.
The Metropolitan Police Department's Internal Affairs Division initiated the probe after spotting irregularities, including unusually high overtime volumes and inconsistencies with verification data. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Morris, on detail from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Due to jurisdictional limits under the Home Rule Act, adult felony prosecutions of this type are handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office, with OAG attorneys serving in a supporting SAUSA capacity.
Attorney General Schwalb said: "These six officers abused their positions of power, exploiting the District and the residents they took an oath to serve and protect. No one is above the law, especially those trusted with enforcing it." As of Tuesday afternoon, a source told ABC affiliate WJLA that at least three of the six - Officers Smith Cleere and Krmenec, and Former Senior Police Officer Richardson - were in custody; warrants for Fulcher and Sheldon were executed Wednesday, according to court documents cited by the Washington Examiner.