Black News, Commentary and Culture | The Washington Informer

They were paid to police the streets, staff offices, and perform work for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Prosecutors say that for thousands of those hours, they were elsewhere entirely.

Six current and former MPD members are accused of manipulating the department’s overtime system, forging supervisors’ approvals, and collecting more than $441,000 for 5,618 hours they did not work, according to arrest warrants filed Tuesday in the D.C. Superior Court.

In some cases, investigators allege employees claimed overtime while on annual leave, traveling outside Washington, or even outside the country. Others allegedly collected MPD pay while working secondary jobs.

“These MPD members betrayed that trust by scheming to collect unearned, undeserved income, costing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said. “They will be held accountable, and my office remains focused on rooting out fraud and protecting the American taxpayer.”

The figures described by prosecutors are substantial.

Former Sgt. Frantz Fulcher is accused of fraudulently collecting $174,915 for 1,861 hours he did not work. Officer Thomas Krmenec allegedly received $89,478 for 1,103 hours of fraudulent work, while Officer Dorrie Smith-Cleere is accused of collecting $87,398 for 1,169.25 hours.

Former Senior Police Officer Bernadette Richardson allegedly received $43,352 for 813.5 hours she did not work. Civilian employee Johnnie Dyer is accused of collecting $27,722 for 518.5 hours, and former Lt. Peter Sheldon is alleged to have received $18,273 for 152.75 hours.

Together, the six submitted 11,017.5 hours and were paid more than $935,000 in 2024. Investigators ultimately determined that 5,618 of those hours, slightly more than half of the hours submitted, were fraudulent, according to prosecutors.

The allegations describe what authorities contend was not an occasional padded timesheet but rather repeated manipulation of the machinery MPD uses to authorize and pay for overtime.