Attorney General Schwalb Announces Public Corruption Charges Against 6 MPD Members for Widespread Overtime Fraud Scheme

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that six members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were arrested and criminally charged for falsifying overtime claims by forging supervisory approvals and manipulating official overtime records, resulting in the District paying them $441,137 for work they did not perform. An investigation into this fraud scheme was opened after MPD's Internal Affairs Division identified irregularities in overtime submissions, including unusually high volumes of claimed overtime hours and inconsistencies between claimed work activity and independent verification data.

Given the limited criminal jurisdiction of the D.C government under the Home Rule Act, prosecutions of adult felonies such as this are handled by the federal government, through the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USAO). The Office of the Attorney General (OAG), however, is committed to protecting District resident's tax dollars and ensuring that DC public officials who abuse their positions of power face consequences and are held accountable for breaches of the public trust. As a result, OAG has entered into a partnership with USAO through which OAG attorneys are detailed to USAO, serving as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs) to prosecute local fraud and public corruption cases.

"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," said Attorney General Schwalb. "While the Home Rule Act does not grant my office the jurisdiction to directly prosecute these cases, through our partnership with the USAO, we are able to protect taxpayer dollars and root out local public corruption. I encourage DC residents to report suspected public corruption to my office."

The MPD members involved and the amounts they fraudulently received are:

Former Sergeant Frantz Fulcher, $174,915.39
Officer Dorrie Smith-Cleere, $87,397.65
Officer Thomas Krmenec, $89,478.00
Former Senior Police Officer Bernadette Richardson, $43,351.68
Former Lieutenant Peter Sheldon, $18,272.72
Johnnie Dyer (civilian), $27,721.59

The defendants are alleged to have engaged in a scheme to claim and receive thousands of dollars in overtime pay for hours they did not work while assigned to MPD's Fifth District Administrative Office. The investigation uncovered numerous fraudulent overtime submissions, including claims for hours when defendants were not working or were otherwise unavailable to perform their assigned duties. The investigation identified hundreds of questionable overtime submissions and substantial payments for unworked hours.

Criminal Charges

Each defendant has been charged with the following offenses:

• First-Degree Fraud (D.C. Code § 22-3221(a))
• First-Degree Theft (D.C. Code § 22-3211)
• Forgery (D.C. Code § 22-3241)
• Uttering (D.C. Code § 22-3241)
  

This matter is being investigated by the Internal Affairs Division of the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Jeremy Morris, Chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section at OAG, serving in his capacity as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA).

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Combatting Fraud and Public Corruption

OAG's Fraud and Public Corruption Section investigates and prosecutes criminal offenses within its jurisdiction that compromise the integrity of government operations and undermine public trust. The Section focuses on fraud against the District, tax fraud, public corruption, and the financial exploitation of vulnerable adults.

Through targeted prosecutions and strategic partnerships, including with USAO, the Fraud and Public Corruption Section safeguards public resources, prevents the misuse of government authority, ensures accountability, reinforces confidence in District government and ensures that victims of financial exploitation receive justice.

While OAG's independent criminal jurisdiction is generally limited to certain misdemeanors and juvenile matters, this partnership with USAO allows the Section to pursue complex felony fraud and public corruption cases that directly affect the District and its residents.

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