News Releases

Metro buses in LA County will feature ads with the felony fraud warning

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman today announced the launch of a countywide LA Metro bus advertisement campaign warning everyone that lying or misrepresenting facts to obtain workers’ compensation benefits to which a person is not entitled is a felony.

“Knowingly making a false statement to collect workers’ compensation benefits is textbook fraud, and we are filing charges against anyone who engages in it — employees, medical providers, attorneys or any other participants in the schemes,” District Attorney Hochman said. “If you choose to falsify a claim, exaggerate an injury, or create false medical documentation, you are committing a felony, and my office will prosecute you. In fact, the very buses that soon will carry this message are connected to a recent case in which a Metro bus driver is now charged with staging a fake workplace fall to fraudulently obtain benefits.”

District Attorney Hochman added: “The goal of workers’ compensation is to protect legitimately injured workers and provide necessary medical care and wage replacement. Fraud diverts resources, increases costs for employers and taxpayers, and undermines public trust in the system.”

Examples of workers’ compensation fraud include:

• Claiming an injury occurred at work when it did not
• Exaggerating symptoms, pain or physical limitations
• Concealing a pre-existing injury
• Working another job while collecting disability benefits
• Submitting false medical or wage information
• Signing off on work notes by medical professionals without conducting proper medical evaluations

Fraud requires intent. It is not a clerical error or a misunderstanding. A single knowingly false statement can establish criminal liability.

Individuals convicted of workers’ compensation fraud face:

• Felony charges
• Prison or county jail time
• Substantial fines
• Court-ordered restitution
• Loss of professional licenses

“Medical professionals play a critical gatekeeping role in the workers’ compensation system,” District Attorney Hochman stated. “Issuing disability notes without proper evaluation or without assessing whether modified duty is appropriate can perpetuate fraud. Knowingly creating or corroborating false documentation is criminal conduct.”

Fraud schemes may also involve “capping,” an illegal practice in which attorneys or medical providers pay for client referrals. Kickbacks and referral payments tied to workers’ compensation claims are unlawful and will be prosecuted.

Further, it is illegal for businesses to operate without providing workers’ compensation insurance coverage as required by law.

While announcing the Office’s campaign, District Attorney Hochman thanked the Healthcare Fraud Division for its work in developing the campaign, particularly Assistant Head Deputy District Attorney Natalie Adomian for her leadership in bringing the initiative to fruition.

“I commend Assistant Head Deputy Adomian and her team for their diligent and thorough work in creating this campaign,” District Attorney Hochman said. “Let it be a warning that we’re watching these claims closely. When we uncover fraud, we act decisively. We file felony charges and we prosecute aggressively.”

Recent Healthcare Fraud Prosecutions:

• Kevyona Denise Beckett (dob 11/9/88) is charged in case 25CJCF05033 with two felony counts of insurance fraud. On Feb. 4, 2025, the LA Metro bus driver, while on duty and in uniform, was recorded on the bus’s audio and video system allegedly telling a coworker she had twisted her ankle at home and planned to stage a fall so she could go out on sick leave. She is accused of asking the co-worker to act as a witness, but he laughed and walked away. Shortly afterward, as another Metro driver approached, the defendant stepped into the bus and is accused of staging a slip-and-fall on the bus floor. The co-worker assisted her and escorted her to report the incident, after which the defendant was placed on sick leave. If convicted as charged, Beckett faces up t0 10 years in state prison to be served in county jail.
• Hazel Giselle Orozco Ortega (dob 12/3/71); Gemi Bertran-Lant (dob 9/3/71); and Elbert Irving IV (9/17/84) are charged in case 25CJCF08297 with 31 felonies including multiple counts of insurance fraud; forgery not relating to a check, bond, bank bill, note or money order; grand theft; conspiracy to commit insurance fraud; and obtaining money, labor or property by false pretenses. The defendants are accused of submitting false documents to insurance companies to obtain payments for vocational classes under a government voucher program designed to help workers return to work. Workers were made to sign blank claim forms, which were then filled out later to make it falsely appear that they had attended vocational classes. If convicted as charged, Ortega faces 19 years, eight months; Bertran-Lant faces 19 years, four months; and Irving IV faces up to seven years; all in state prison to be served in county jail.
• Maria del Rosa Romero Gonzalez (dob 6/12/67) is charged in case 26CJCF01387 with one felony count each of insurance fraud and attempted perjury under oath. Romero Gonzalez suffered a workplace injury in May 2023 and prosecutors allege that after her employment ended in July 2023, she exaggerated her injuries and concealed concurrent employment while collecting workers’ compensation benefits. She allegedly lied to conceal her concurrent employment during an October 2023 deposition and again at a January 2024 medical evaluation. Romero Gonzalez is accused of exaggerating her alleged injuries and working at a daycare while receiving benefits. If convicted as charged, Romero Gonzalez faces up to five years, six months in state prison to be served in county jail.
• Jose Dimas Duran Villalta (dob 11/7/79) is charged in case 26CJCF01461 with one felony count each of insurance fraud and perjury during a deposition. The defendant fractured his wrist in an October 2022 workplace fall from a ladder and was placed on Temporary Totally Disabled status, receiving $1,809.34 every two weeks. In April 2023, Duran Villalta is accused of performing plumbing work for another company while collecting benefits, prompting a fraud referral to the California Department of Insurance. Although Duran Villalta denied working, payroll records showed he was employed from March to August 2023 and investigators determined he improperly collected $14,474.72 in disability benefits during that time. If convicted as charged, Duran Villalta faces up to five years and six months in state prison to be served in county jail.
• Christopher Brandon Carnahan (6/30/82) is charged in case 26CJCF01236 with two counts of felony insurance fraud. On May 22, 2023, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Carnahan purportedly injured his left elbow while on duty and was subsequently placed on Temporary Totally Disabled (TTD) status. Prosecutors allege that while on TTD status, Carnahan completed many skydives at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore and worked out at a fitness center. If convicted as charged, Carnahan faces up to six years in state prison to be served in county jail.

For more information or to report suspected workers’ compensation fraud, contact the District Attorney’s Office at reportheathcarefraud@da.lacounty.gov or (213) 258-2365.

The charges filed in this case are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

These are the messages that are being displayed across public transit buses countywide, warning that workers’ compensation fraud is a felony offense and will be prosecuted.