US Marshals Capture Child Pornography Cold Case Fugitive

Oklahoma City, OK — The Moore Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service in Oklahoma City announces the arrest of one of Oklahoma’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives, Anthony Lennon.

Lennon was located and apprehended in the state of New York by investigators from US Marshals Office and Moore Police Department after staging his disappearance and being on the run for the last 13 years. In March 2012, Lennon became wanted on multiple counts of possession of child pornography, following a previous 2008 conviction on aggravated child pornography charges. Evidence in his home included chat logs, a desktop computer, and stacks of compact discs containing images of children and infants being violently raped and sexually assaulted.

On the day of his attempted arrest, while employed at the Super 8 Motel in Moore, Lennon staged an elaborate and bloody abduction and robbery scene, leaving behind falsified evidence to make it appear he had been abducted.

For 13 years, Lennon successfully evaded capture. However, through the diligent efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service in OKC and New York, and Moore Police Department detectives, Lennon was located and interviewed in New York under the alias “Justin Phillips.” His true identity was confirmed through fingerprint analysis.

“This man is accused of committing a terrible crime involving children and this arrest illustrates the professionalism, communication, and teamwork of all the various agencies involved in the arrest and to provide justice for the victims,” said United States Marshal Johnny L. Kuhlman.

This case remains active and under investigation,

Case Background:

• On March 12, 2012, the Moore Police Department contacted the US Marshals requesting assistance in locating and apprehending fugitive Anthony Lennon.
• March 11, 2012, Moore Police Department detectives were called to Super 8 Motel in Moore, Oklahoma, where Lennon was employed.
• Another employee noticed a pool of blood, Lennon’s shoe, bloody shoe prints, shirt buttons, and money missing from the hotel money drawer. After looking over the crime scene, detectives found the circumstances of Lennon's disappearance to be suspicious.
• Lennon’s criminal history includes a 2008, arrest for five (5) counts of Aggravated Possession of Child Pornography and a second arrest “warrant” filed in 2012, for his current case.
• The warrant was for eight (8) counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Furthermore, Lennon was also facing a 20-year sentence on five (5) counts of Aggravated Possession of Child Pornography that he had pled guilty to and received a suspended sentence of twenty (20) years, in 2008.
• Moore Police Department detectives knew Lennon had a warrant for his arrest and that prior to the warrant being issued, Lennon had been interviewed by detectives a few days before the night of his alleged disappearance.
• Detectives determined that the day before Lennon’s disappearance he emptied his bank account and claimed he was in legal trouble to the bank teller.
• Lennon has a master’s degree in computer science and was working towards a doctorate degree in computer science at the time of his disappearance.
• 2012 to present. The US Marshals Metro Fugitive Task Force in Western Oklahoma, the US Marshals HQ Cold and Complex Case Group, with support from the Moore Police Department conduct an extensive fugitive investigation for Lennon.

The Oklahoma City Metro Fugitive Task Force mission is to locate and arrest federal, state and local fugitives. It is made up of law enforcement officers from the following participating agencies: U.S. Marshals Service, Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Department, Canadian County Sheriff's Office, Edmond Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General, Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, Oklahoma City Police Department, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics, Midwest City Police Department, Shawnee Police Department, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The NY/NJ RFTF – Syracuse and Albany Division’s are composed of several different agencies across upstate New York, to include the Syracuse Police Department, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Auburn Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Albany Police Department, Colonie Police Department, Greene County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, New York State Office of the Attorney General, Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office, Schenectady Police Department, Troy Police Department, Kingston Police Department, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, Watervliet Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service.