A stunning investigative report published in July 2018 by the Los Angeles Times provided several examples of Los Angeles police officers and fire fighters filing and recovering what it claims are exaggerated or outright fake “skin and contents” workers compensation claims costing taxpayers billions of dollars.

And now, more than a year later, reports of alleged fraudulent workers’ compensation claims by LAPD officers continue to make the news.

A former Los Angeles Police Department officer has been charged with illegally collecting workers’ compensation insurance benefits before resigning in 2016, Michael Simon (dob 12/6/79) is charged in case BA481662 with two felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud and one felony count of grand theft of more than $950.

Arraignment has not yet been scheduled. The prosecutor is requesting that bail be set at $40,000.

In 2015, Simon is accused of engaging in activities inconsistent with his claimed injuries while he was off work on disability.

In 2016, he allegedly falsely represented the nature of his injuries to his employer in order to collect additional financial assistance to which he was not entitled, according to Deputy District Attorney Arunas Sodonis of the Healthcare Fraud Division.

The case was filed for warrant on Oct. 8 and the defendant was just arrested.

Simon faces a possible maximum sentence of six years and eight months in state prison to be served in county jail if convicted as charged.

The case remains under investigation by the LAPD’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit.