Ex-Defense Cop Anthony Lesane Cops Plea to $25K Theft

Federal justice caught up with Anthony Lesane, 56, of Fort Washington, Maryland, who admitted to stealing $25,832.47 from the U.S. government while working as a police officer for the Department of Defense. Over a three-year stretch, Lesane falsified time records at a DoD facility in Prince George’s County, padding his pay with overtime he never worked — including hours logged while vacationing overseas.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gina L. Simms slapped Lesane with one year of probation, a $6,000 fine, and 100 hours of community service to be completed in the first nine months of supervision. At his Greenbelt sentencing, Lesane coughed up $25,832.47 in restitution — the full amount he stole through fraudulent time entries from August 2016 to October 2019.

The scheme unraveled thanks to a joint probe by the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service – Mid-Atlantic Field Office. Investigators found Lesane routinely manipulated his department’s time and attendance system, falsely claiming overtime shifts and even full workdays he never showed up for. One glaring entry came during a vacation abroad — proof the fraud was brazen and deliberate.

Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard of the DoD’s investigative arm emphasized that stealing from the government undermines public trust and won’t go unpunished. “Taxpayers expect integrity from those sworn to protect federal assets,” Dillard said. “Lesane betrayed that duty for personal gain.”

U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron, who oversaw the prosecution, praised the investigators and credited Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin for securing the conviction. “This sentence sends a message: abuse of public office for financial gain will be pursued and penalized,” Barron stated.

Lesane, once trusted to uphold the law within a high-security federal facility, now serves as a cautionary tale of corruption from within. The case underscores persistent vulnerabilities in federal payroll oversight and the consequences when insiders exploit them. For more on the U.S. Attorney’s priorities in Maryland, visit justice.gov/usao-md.