Frantz Fulcher

Introduction

Frantz Fulcher is a former sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C. On August 18, 2026, D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced that arrest warrants had been signed seeking the arrest of Fulcher and five other MPD members over an overtime-fraud scheme allegedly run out of the department’s Fifth District Administrative Office. According to the D.C. Office of the Attorney General (OAG), the six falsified overtime claims by forging supervisory approvals and manipulating official overtime records, collecting $441,137 in fraudulent pay in 2024 alone. Fulcher’s alleged share, $174,915.39, was the largest of the group, and each defendant has been charged with First-Degree Fraud under D.C. Code § 22-3221(a). The case is pending and has not been adjudicated.

Background Information

Public information about Fulcher is limited almost entirely to the August 2026 charges, which identify him as a former MPD sergeant but do not disclose his age, length of service, or when he left the department. The complaints place the alleged conduct at MPD’s Fifth District Administrative Office, where the defendants were assigned while the scheme allegedly operated. The case originated inside the department: 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, and opened the investigation that produced the charges. Because the Home Rule Act gives the D.C. government limited criminal jurisdiction over adult felonies, the case is being handled through a partnership under which OAG attorneys are detailed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USAO) as Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys (SAUSAs).

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Criminal case. The claims in this section come from criminal complaints announced by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s office on August 18, 2026. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation: Fulcher is charged but presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and the case has not been adjudicated.

According to the OAG, the six 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, and identified hundreds of questionable overtime submissions and substantial payments for unworked hours. A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office said the methods allegedly included claiming overtime while outside of the District — including while traveling — and while on leave.

The OAG listed the six members and the amounts they fraudulently received as: 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; and civilian employee Johnnie Dyer, $27,721.59. Per the OAG, each defendant has been charged with First-Degree Fraud (D.C. Code § 22-3221(a)); NBC4 Washington reported that the accused are charged with first-degree fraud, first-degree theft, forgery and uttering, the last involving using a forged or altered document with intent to commit fraud.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Attorney General Schwalb said in the announcement: “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.” He added that while the Home Rule Act does not grant his office the jurisdiction to directly prosecute these cases, the partnership with the USAO allows his office to “protect taxpayer dollars and root out local public corruption,” and he encouraged DC residents to report suspected public corruption to his office.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in the news release quoted by NBC4 Washington: “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,” adding, “They will be held accountable, and my office remains focused on rooting out fraud and protecting the American taxpayer.” NBC4 reported that D.C. police had no comment on the pending case, and an I-Team source said three of the officers are retired.

Current Status

As of the August 18, 2026 announcements, arrest warrants had been signed for the six defendants. The OAG noted: “A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” The matter is being prosecuted by Jeremy Morris, Chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section at OAG, serving as a Special Assistant United States Attorney, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. prosecuting the case. Neither source reported a court appearance, plea, or trial date for Fulcher.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The charges attach to Fulcher in his capacity as a former sergeant: both accounts identify him as no longer serving with MPD, and NBC4’s source said three of the officers involved are retired, though the reports do not say when Fulcher left the department or whether the case is related to his departure. The case is being pursued as a felony fraud prosecution through the USAO partnership, and as of the announcements Fulcher remained presumed innocent. The OAG framed the prosecution as part of its commitment to ensuring that “DC public officials who abuse their positions of power face consequences and are held accountable for breaches of the public trust.”

Sources

Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, “Attorney General Schwalb Announces Public Corruption Charges Against 6 MPD Members For Widespread Overtime Fraud Scheme,” August 18, 2026 — source
NBC4 Washington (Ted Oberg and Matthew Stabley), “6 members of MPD charged in $400K overtime fraud scheme, AG says,” August 18, 2026 — source