At Play While on Comp? Oxnard Police Officer Charged With Fraud

According to the Ventura County Star, and a statement from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, Edward Idukas, an Oxnard police officer, was arrested on June 14th on the suspicion that he committed workers’ compensation fraud.

Assistant Oxnard Police Chief Jason Benites stated that Idukas had served as a traffic service assistant with the Oxnard Police Department from 2004 until 2007, when he became a police officer in the department’s patrol services division.

Benites also noted that Idukas has been on paid administrative leave since the winter, adding that the police department has an ongoing administrative investigation into the case.

A part of the statement from the County District Attorney’s Office, Idukas reported to his supervisor on December 29, 2009 that he had injured his back while bending over at his locker and complained of pain and limited mobility. He was then placed on temporary “totally disabled” status. He received disability pay over the next several months.

Investigators discovered Idukas was playing baseball weekly in a local adult league while receiving disability benefits from the city of Oxnard, according to the statement. While these activities were taking place, Idukas complained to doctors and physical therapists that he was too disabled to return to his duties as a police officer, prosecutors said.

Several months after he made the injury claim though, Oxnard police received a tip from workers’ comp investigators about activities that “cast suspicion” on it. Benites said that they immediately notified county prosecutors.

“We felt it was something that warranted an investigation by their office,” said the assistant chief. “Workers’ compensation fraud committed by any public employee is clearly a breech of the public’s trust.”

Senior Deputy District Attorney Ernesto Acosta noted that Idukas had just returned from a previous injury when he claimed the new one that apparently happened while on the job.

According to Acosta, Idukas collected around $70,000 in workers’ compensation benefits.

Court records show that prosecutors filed five counts of felony insurance fraud against Idukas.

Each of those counts carries a maximum of three years in state prison and a fine of $150,000. Prosecutors stated that, if convicted, Idukas could be ordered to pay restitution and be liable for the cost of the investigation.

Idukas was booked into Ventura County jail and then released on bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on June 21st.