DA Announces Fraud Charges Against Retired L.A. Police Officer

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 | 0

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that a former city police officer was accused of fraud, but didn’t provide much in the way of information that wasn’t already disclosed during a press conference in March.

County prosecutors said Terry Johns, 56, faces three counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud, three counts of attempted perjury and two counts of insurance fraud.

Johns received benefits from 2014 to 2016 at the same time he was participating in the city’s Deferred Retirement Option Plan. The retirement program, called DROP, allows police and firefighters who are at least 50 to start receiving pension payments while also drawing their salary for up to five years.

The District Attorney’s Office said Johns “is accused of knowingly engaging in physical activities inconsistent with his claimed injury while off work on disability.” He allegedly lied about his activities during a deposition, and to his physician.

The Los Angeles Police Department held a press conference March 7 to announce charges against Johns. The Los Angeles Times said Police Chief Charlie Beck would say only that Johns was engaged in activities that were “inconsistent” with his claimed injuries, without elaborating.

The press conference coincided with a Times report documenting potential abuse of the deferred retirement program. Nearly half of the police and firefighters who signed up ended up taking time off for work injuries, according to the Times.

Beck, during a City Council meeting on April 30, offered an “easy change” to protect the retirement program against potential abuse: Suspend pension payments for enrollees while they are out on disability leave.