Two Los Angeles police officers were arrested this week for reporting fake injury claims and lying under oath in regards to their workers’ compensation claims. The claims were filed in late 2012.

Ralph Mendoza has been on the force 13 years and patrolled the Boyle Heights and Montecito Heights neighborhoods in Los Angeles as part of the Hollenbeck Patrol Division. The department’s Board of Rights will determine his future. As for now he has been relieved of his duties. He has been charged with workers’ compensation fraud and grand theft. He is also accused of falsifying medical documents relating to an injury claim he filed.

John Hall, the second officer involved in this case, has been on the force 19 years and had been working on the Emergency Services Division. He surrendered to a warrant charging him with workers’ compensation fraud, insurance fraud, grant theft and attempted perjury. He is in early stages of an investigation that may show that he provided false testimony during a deposition related to his claim.

“Public trust is at the very core of the police profession, and when that trust is violated we must employ every measure to restore it,” said Police Chief Charlie Beck in a statement.  “I am troubled whenever our officers are accused of violating that trust.”

The department has not revealed the amount of money the officers allegedly obtained from these false claims. This is the second story I’ve written about police officer fraud in the past few weeks. Even though any amount of fraud is unsettling, the fact that we are seeing it from supposed law enforcement is even worse.

If proven guilty, they’re definitely going on Santa’s Naughty List.