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A former Bell Gardens police officer accused of filing a false workplace injury claim pleaded no contest in a case alleging he committed workers’ compensation fraud.

Deputy District Attorney Arunas Sodonis of the Healthcare Fraud Division said John Kovacs, 31, pleaded to one felony count of workers’ compensation insurance fraud. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Paul Suzuki ordered Kovacs to complete 400 hours of community service and pay a $4,000 fine to the state workers’ compensation fund. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2, 2014. Kovacs filed a false workers’ compensation claim for a knee injury he alleged occurred on the job. An internal investigation by his employer, however, revealed that Kovacs suffered the injury during off hours at a physical agility test for the Huntington Beach Police Department.

The case was investigated by the Bell Gardens Police Department and the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation