A 24-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department was arrested on Jan. 11 and booked for one felony count of workers’ compensation insurance fraud.

Sgt. Juan Fernandez, who was assigned to the LAPD’s Mission Division when he filed a workers’ compensation claim in 2010, surrendered to investigators from the LAPD’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit (WCFU) after an arrest warrant was issued. The sergeant was given time off from work after he filed a claim on May 13, 2010, and did not return to work until March 27, 2011. The investigation revealed that Fernandez had submitted an altered doctors’ note that allowed him to stay off work beyond the prescribed period, and continued to receive compensation he was not entitled to.

The investigation was conducted in partnership with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Healthcare Fraud Division and Tristar Risk Management. If convicted, Fernandez could face up to seven years in prison, and up to $150,000 in fines.