Copyright Newsweek
A fugitive from Oklahoma who ranked among the state’s “most wanted” criminals was recently discovered hanging around an upstate New York college posing as a student. Anthony Michael Lennon, 44, was charged over a decade ago with eight counts of child pornography charges in his home state, but it was only this past summer that Oklahoma listed him on its “Ten Most Wanted” list. Newsweek reached out by email to the Oklahoma attorney general’s office on Saturday evening outside of normal business hours for comment and clarification. Why It Matters Oklahoma initiated a “Ten Most Wanted” program in September 2024 to highlight fugitives and encourage public assistance in locating them. The program has already resulted in the capture of 15 fugitives accused of crimes including murder, rape, and drug trafficking. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has said he started the program because he believes “a safer Oklahoma begins with a united front,” particularly the collaboration between private citizens and law enforcement. “Together, we can continue to create an environment where safety and justice prevail,” Drummond said of the program. What To Know Lennon was charged in 2012 after his friend used his computer and found 50 gigabytes of child pornography. The friend alerted the Moore Police Department, which opened an investigation and discovered chat logs and images of children and infants being sexually assaulted that Lennon had stored on his computer and on disks, the state’s attorney general said in a press release. Lennon was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but he was on supervised release when he then went on the run after faking an attack and abduction at the motel where he worked to make it appear he had been taken against his will, according to CBS 6 Albany. Authorities determined the scene had been staged, even with large amounts of Lennon’s blood present, and continued to search for him over the following years until “new information” that indicated Lennon was indeed alive and possibly in upstate New York. They then arrested Lennon in Canton, New York, after determining he was using the alias Justin Phillips and attending SUNY Canton. Police confirmed his identity through fingerprint analysis. Investigators said they could not reveal what the information was or how it came to them as it could lead to additional charges against Lennon. SUNY Canton associate professor Rashid Aidun, who served as Lennon’s academic adviser, told NBC News that “everyone is in shock” after the revelation and subsequent arrest. He described Lennon, whom he knew as Phillips, as a “very good student” who was in his third semester of a transfer program. SUNY Canton in a statement issued the day after Lennon’s arrest said he had been suspended and barred from campus, with no knowledge at all of his prior identity or crimes. What People Are Saying Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond in a press release: “I appreciate the thorough investigative work by the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Moore Police Department and all of the law enforcement agencies involved in locating and apprehending this child predator. He evaded justice for far too long but will now face the consequences of his actions.” Moore Police Department in a post on X: "After 13 years on the run, Oklahoma’s Ten Most Wanted fugitive Anthony Lennon has been captured. Lennon faked his own kidnapping in Moore in 2012 to avoid arrest. This case remains active, but Lennon will finally be held accountable for his crimes." And in a statement posted by the department, in part: "This case remains active and under investigation, but with his capture, we can now begin the process of holding Lennon accountable for the crimes he committed against children in our community. The Moore Police Department extends its sincere gratitude to all agencies involved in this multi-jurisdictional and nationwide effort to bring this dangerous individual to justice." What Happens Next? Lennon remains in custody in Syracuse ahead of a scheduled hearing for November 19.
