OPINION

L.A. County is seeing a spike in deputy-fraud allegations

Townhall Staff
Townhall Staff  |  Jul 19, 2011
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Several Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies have been entangled in fraud allegations in the last year, a spike that the department's watchdog says may be linked to overtime cuts pushing cash-strapped deputies to commit crimes.

One deputy torched his own car for an insurance payout, another fabricated a burglary and a third enlisted a fellow cop to help him drive his car to Mexico, where he abandoned it and later claimed it was stolen. Two other deputies are facing federal charges in an alleged mortgage fraud scheme, according to the report provided to The Times Monday by the Office of Independent Review.