WASHINGTON, DC – August 21, 2026 (STL.News) Six current and former members of Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department face felony charges in an alleged overtime fraud scheme that prosecutors say resulted in more than $441,000 in payments for hours not worked.
A D.C. Superior Court judge signed arrest warrants Aug. 18 for Peter Sheldon, Frantz Fulcher, Thomas Krmenec, Bernadette Richardson, Dorrie Smith-Cleere and Johnnie Dyer, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The defendants are current or former MPD members who worked in the department’s Fifth District Administration Office.
Five of the six are current or former police officers, while Dyer is a civilian employee, NBC Washington reports. Authorities allege the group collectively received $441,137 in fraudulent compensation during 2024.
The allegations go well beyond simple timesheet errors. Investigators say overtime records were deliberately manipulated, supervisors’ signatures were forged, and compensation was claimed for periods when employees allegedly were not working — including instances when some were on annual leave or traveling outside Washington and, in some cases, outside the United States.
MPD overtime investigation began internally
The investigation originated inside the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to authorities, MPD’s Internal Affairs Division began examining the Fifth District after identifying unusually high amounts of overtime and discrepancies between reported working hours and information that could independently verify whether employees were actually working.
Investigators then conducted a detailed review using multiple sources.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, investigators examined body-worn camera footage, police radio and GPS information, automated license plate reader records, travel information, annual leave records, cell-site information, email records, network activity and MPD timesheets.
Those records allegedly revealed a pattern of overtime submissions for hours that investigators concluded were not actually worked.
Authorities also allege that some of the defendants used their positions in the Fifth District’s administrative operation to facilitate the processing and approval of fraudulent overtime claims.
More than $441,000 allegedly obtained
The alleged amounts attributed to the individual defendants vary significantly.
According to figures released in connection with the investigation, authorities allege:
- Frantz Fulcher, a former sergeant, fraudulently received $174,915.39.
- Thomas Krmenec, an officer, allegedly received $89,478.
- Dorrie Smith-Cleere, an officer, allegedly received $87,397.65.
- Bernadette Richardson, a former senior police officer, allegedly received $43,351.68.
- Johnnie Dyer, a civilian employee, allegedly received $27,721.59.
- Peter Sheldon, a former lieutenant, allegedly received $18,272.72.
Together, the alleged fraudulent payments total approximately $441,137.
The Washington Informer, citing the arrest warrants, reported that investigators identified approximately 5,618 hours that allegedly were not worked. The six employees submitted more than 11,000 hours and received more than $935,000 in total compensation associated with those hours during 2024, according to the report.
The distinction is important: authorities are not alleging that all of that compensation was fraudulent. The criminal allegations concern the portion investigators contend represented hours that were not actually worked.
Overtime allegedly claimed during travel and leave
Among the more striking allegations are claims involving employees’ whereabouts when they supposedly were working.
Authorities say some overtime claims corresponded with periods when defendants were using annual leave or traveling domestically or internationally.
Investigators compared timesheets with information from several independent sources, including travel records, body-camera footage, GPS information, and other electronic records.
Prosecutors also allege that supervisors forged signatures on authorization documents and altered official records to facilitate payments.
Those allegations explain why the case involves more than accusations of improper overtime collection.
After their arrest, the defendants face charges of first-degree fraud, first-degree theft, forgery, and uttering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Uttering generally involves presenting or using a document known to be forged or altered as genuine.
Public corruption concerns
The case raises questions about internal financial controls at a major metropolitan police department and the safeguards used to verify substantial amounts of overtime.
Police overtime can represent a significant expense for local governments, particularly in departments dealing with staffing shortages, special events, investigations, demonstrations and other assignments requiring personnel beyond regularly scheduled shifts.
An overtime system necessarily depends on accurate employee reporting and supervisory verification. The allegations in Washington are particularly significant because prosecutors contend that employees working in administrative positions were able to manipulate parts of that process.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said the allegations represent an abuse of public trust and emphasized that law enforcement personnel remain accountable to the same laws they are entrusted to enforce.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro similarly said the case concerns alleged efforts to obtain income that was neither earned nor deserved and emphasized the financial cost to taxpayers.
D.C. Attorney General and federal prosecutors cooperate
The prosecution also highlights an unusual feature of Washington’s criminal justice system.
Because the District of Columbia’s Home Rule Act limits the D.C. Office of the Attorney General’s authority to directly prosecute certain criminal cases, the office has partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia on fraud and public-corruption investigations.
Under that arrangement, attorneys from the D.C. attorney general’s office can serve as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Morris, detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office from Schwalb’s office, is prosecuting the overtime fraud case, according to federal prosecutors.
The structure allows locally developed investigations involving alleged misuse of taxpayer money to be pursued through the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Internal investigation could strengthen public accountability
Another notable element of the case is that MPD’s own Internal Affairs Division identified the suspected irregularities.
Authorities said an outside law enforcement agency or auditor did not initially uncover the allegations. MPD investigators identified unusually large overtime claims and inconsistencies and then expanded the inquiry.
That distinction is important for public accountability.
An internal-control system is meant not only to prevent improper payments but also to flag suspicious activity when preventive measures fail. In this case, authorities say the discrepancies eventually triggered a much broader examination of records.
The variety of evidence reportedly used also demonstrates how modern payroll investigations can extend far beyond reviewing timecards.
Body-camera activation records can help establish whether an officer was performing police duties. GPS and radio records can provide location and activity information. Travel and leave records can show whether an employee was elsewhere, while network and email activity may help establish whether someone was performing administrative work at a particular time.
Investigators reportedly used those sources collectively to determine whether the overtime claims could be independently substantiated.
What happens next?
The criminal cases will proceed through D.C. Superior Court.
Prosecutors will ultimately have to prove their allegations through admissible evidence. Filing charges and issuing arrest warrants do not establish guilt, and the defendants will have opportunities to challenge the government’s evidence and allegations.
The case could also prompt broader scrutiny of MPD’s overtime authorization and payroll procedures, particularly within administrative units where employees may have greater involvement in processing time and compensation records.
No court ruling has established that the defendants participated in the alleged scheme. The amounts attributed to each defendant are allegations presented by prosecutors and investigators.
The investigation nevertheless represents a significant public-corruption case because of both the amount of taxpayer money involved and the positions held by those accused.
What began with unusual overtime figures inside MPD’s Fifth District ultimately expanded into an investigation involving thousands of allegedly unworked hours, extensive electronic and administrative records and more than $441,000 in disputed compensation.
The case now shifts from MPD’s internal investigation to the courts, where prosecutors must establish the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
Presumption of innocence: Sheldon, Fulcher, Krmenec, Richardson, Smith-Cleere and Dyer are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Primary source: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
