Julio Santiago, a 52-year-old former security guard for the school district, was arrested Wednesday. He is accused of working as a private security guard while claiming a knee injury prevented him from working at the district.
?We have reason to believe he continued to work while he claimed his injury,? said Angela Brunson, the prosecutor on the case.
Bill Warner, manager of the special investigations unit for the company that handles the school district?s insurance claims, said his office began the investigation into Santiago, but later passed it to the California Department of Insurance after being unable to amass enough evidence against Santiago.
Santiago worked as a campus security officer for the district until February 2011, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Rob Roberts said. He declined to discuss the case further.
Santiago was due to be arraigned on Thursday, but was instead released on bail. He is due back in Los Angeles Municipal Court on April20.
Messages left at a Rowland Heights phone number registered to a Julio Santiago of the same age were not returned.
Santiago?s case is the latest in a string of alleged fraud cases discovered in the district.
Most recently, Mark McCleave, a high school teacher in Hacienda
La Puente, settled with the district for $5,000 after it was discovered that he worked at several race tracks while collecting leave of absence pay for an elbow injury he claimed.
Last year the district saw four other insurance fraud cases.
In early February 2011, Patricia Elena Leon, 41, of Hacienda Heights, was arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputies after being charged with insurance fraud, perjury and grand theft.
Leon claimed injuries to her left knee, chest and lower back in September 2010 after being kicked by a special-education student.
Leon claimed to be disabled, but she was videotaped working at a medical clinic for about two weeks.
Leon later pleaded guilty to one count of insurance fraud and was ordered to pay $8,800 in restitution and serve five years of probation.
Also arrested that month was Alfred Thomas Velasquez, 55. Velasquez claimed he injured his neck and shoulder while trying to catch a falling bag of fertilizer in 2009. Shortly after Velasquez filed the claim, an investigator observed him putting up large and heavy Christmas decorations and hammering stakes into the ground at his home.
He later pleaded guilty to one count of insurance fraud and was ordered to pay $4,910 in restitution.
In March 2011, April Metzinger, 39, was arrested and charged with insurance fraud and attempted perjury.
Metzinger claimed she had injured herself while performing the Heimlich maneuver on a choking child and further injured herself when she ran into a pole while carrying the child. She said her injuries were aggravated when another child jumped off a trampoline onto her.
Metzinger said she had injuries to her ribs, breast, chest, neck, legs and back, as well as ulcers induced by stress.
But investigators hired by the school district?s insurance company recorded video of Metzinger visiting Disneyland, riding roller coasters, carrying one of her children, going camping for several days in Wrightwood and ?moving about without any apparent restrictions.?
In December she pleaded guilty to a single count of workers? compensation insurance fraud. She was sentenced two to days in jail, two years of probation and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to the district.
Victoria Jimenez, a 46-year-old payroll technician, was arrested in January 2011 after investigators observed her lifting a child, despite her claims that she had disabling neck and shoulder pain.
Jimenez originally faced two counts of insurance fraud, but both were dismissed in September. Neal Curatola, an attorney for Jimenez, said the charges were dismissed due to lack of evidence.
?The bottom line is the woman was vindicated, she didn?t do anything wrong,? Curatola said.
The prosecutor on the case was not available for comment.
Curatola said the district and Jimenez eventually settled her workers? compensation claim, with the district paying her $37,500.
Source:sgvn.com
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