A Los Angeles Police Department officer assigned to the Van Nuys Station is facing allegations of workers’ compensation fraud. A felony arrest warrant had been issued for Officer John Bailey, 43, who was taken into custody on Tuesday.
The warrant stemmed from an investigation by the LAPD’s Special Operations Division, Worker’s Compensation Fraud Unit into a medical claim filed by Bailey in early 2018.
Bailey is accused of knowingly committing workers’ compensation fraud and receiving benefits under false pretenses, according to the LAPD. He lives in San Bernardino County, and was jailed in lieu of $60,000 bail, police said. An update on his custody status was not immediately available and it was unclear if he had retained an attorney.
There have been several arrests made within the LAPD for workers’ compensation fraud just this year.
In March, felony charges were filed against a retired LAPD officer in an alleged workers’ compensation fraud case. Former Officer Terry Johns, 56, was arrested by detectives with the Department’s internal affairs division, officials said. A criminal complaint accused Johns of eight counts, including workers compensations insurance fraud, insurance fraud, and attempted perjury under oath.
The arrest was made after an undercover surveillance investigation in which detectives were sent to see if the ex-officer was really injured, as he had claimed in official documents.
In January, a nine-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, whose last assignment was with the Valley Traffic Division, was arrested on suspicion of workers’ compensation fraud. Jason Gordon, 48, of Los Angeles County was arrested on Jan. 17 on a felony arrest warrant related to workers’ compensation fraud and attempted perjury, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Also in January, Gerald Pully, 51, an 18-year city employee, was last assigned to the LAPD’s Records and Identification Division was charged with one count of workers’ compensation fraud after exaggerating the extent of his injuries while receiving money from the department.