The Los Angeles Police Department’s Special Operations Division, Major Complaint Unit, arrested Police Officer III Peter Mastrocinque and Police Officer II Nicole Grant after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges related to Unemployment Insurance fraud under California Penal Code Section 550(a)(5) and Insurance Code Section 2101(a). Mastrocinque was appointed to the Department on September 16, 2008, and Grant on October 31, 2016. Both officers are assigned to Newton Division and have been placed on administrative leave as part of this investigation.

The investigation, led by the Special Operations Division Major Complaint Unit, responsible for investigating criminal misconduct by Department employees, including fraud, focused on Unemployment Insurance applications submitted by Mastrocinque and Grant during 2020 and 2021.

The investigation followed a 2023 review by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office of suspected Unemployment Insurance fraud involving applications submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This review raised concerns about applications associated with multiple individuals, including Mastrocinque and Grant, and was subsequently referred to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Special Operations Division for further investigation.

Investigators working in partnership with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division developed probable cause to believe Mastrocinque and Grant submitted fraudulent Unemployment Insurance applications and received payments to which they were not entitled. Both officers surrendered themselves, were booked, and later released.

Nicole Grant was assigned Booking Number 7199424, and Peter Mastrocinque was assigned Booking Number 7199437.

The arrests are part of a broader crackdown – in October 2025, the LA County District Attorney’s Office charged 13 Los Angeles County employees from seven different agencies with felony grand theft for stealing a combined $437,383 in state unemployment benefits between 2020 and 2023. While working for LA County and receiving paychecks, the 13 defendants allegedly submitted fraudulent unemployment insurance claims to the California Employment Development Department, falsely claiming under penalty of perjury that they earned less than $600 per week. In fact, they earned more than $600 a week, making them ineligible for unemployment benefits.

The agencies involved in the 13 cases spanned a wide cross-section of county government, including the Justice, Care and Opportunity Department, the Department of Public Social Services, and others – notably including employees whose very job was to help the public determine whether they were eligible for public benefits.

By December 2025 there was a second wave of arrests. Eleven additional LA County employees were subsequently charged with felony grand theft, bringing the total to 24 employees accused of stealing a combined $741,518 in unemployment benefits between 2020 and 2023. Many of these individuals submitted more than 40 fraudulent income certifications – not only omitting their employment in their initial applications, but continuing to submit fraudulent income certifications every two weeks, claiming under penalty of perjury that they were unemployed even as they continued to receive biweekly paychecks from LA County.

The arrests of LAPD Officers Mastrocinque and Grant in March 2026 are thus part of this continuing and expanding crackdown, which has now extended beyond general county employees to sworn law enforcement personnel. The cases are being prosecuted through the DA’s Justice System Integrity Division, which specifically handles misconduct by public employees.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Special Operations Division Major Complaint Unit investigates unemployment insurance fraud, abuse of benefits, and other allegations of criminal misconduct involving Department personnel. The Unit is committed to aggressively investigating fraud and benefits abuse to ensure accountability, safeguard public resources, and uphold the integrity of the Department.