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A Los Angeles County Fireplace Division captain is dealing with felony fees following allegations that he faked a piece damage and cast medical doctors’ notes to fraudulently declare hundreds of {dollars} in incapacity funds, authorities stated.
Thomas Merryman, 45, allegedly acquired greater than $25,000 in insurance coverage funds for a piece damage that might not have taken place as a result of he was not at work, in accordance with the L.A. County district lawyer’s workplace.
He allegedly submitted faux paperwork underneath the identify of one other fireplace captain and a doctor to Colonial Life & Accident Insurance coverage Firm, permitting him to say long-term incapacity funds, prosecutors stated.
Merryman, who’s at present believed to stay in Georgetown, Texas, has been charged with one felony depend of insurance coverage fraud, one felony depend of false personation and two felony counts of forgery, prosecutors stated. He’s scheduled to be arraigned in Los Angeles on Sept. 9.
If convicted as charged, he faces as much as 5 years in state jail, authorities stated.
The assertion from the district lawyer’s workplace didn’t present any extra data on Merryman’s historical past with the division, or his present employment standing. In accordance with Clear California, an internet database that tracks pay to public officers, a person of the identical identify and recognized as a captain with L.A. County fireplace, acquired $178,466 in whole pay and $112,687 in advantages in 2024.
“Pretend incapacity claims won’t be tolerated underneath my watch, particularly by first responders charged with protecting our county secure,” L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman stated in a press release. “False healthcare claims increase insurance coverage premiums and make it harder for individuals with reliable work accidents to say advantages. My message to public servants who abuse the system is obvious: We’re watching you.”
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