Two LAPD Officers Face Allegations of COVID-Related Unemployment Fraud

Two LAPD Officers Arrested for Unemployment Insurance Fraud

LOS ANGELES – Two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) were arrested on Friday as part of an investigation into fraudulent unemployment insurance claims filed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officers Peter Mastrocinque and Nicole Grant, both assigned to the department’s Newton Division, are accused of filing fraudulent benefit applications for unemployment insurance in 2020 and 2021 while still actively employed.

The arrests follow an ongoing investigation by the District Attorney’s Office into potential misconduct within the LAPD. Both officers face felony charges of insurance fraud and making false statements, a situation identified by the department’s Special Operations Division.

After their arrest, Mastrocinque and Grant were booked and subsequently released but have been placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues.

While the specific amounts of the benefits suspected to have been obtained fraudulently have not been disclosed, it remains unclear whether further investigations into other department employees are ongoing or what evidence sparked the initial probe by the District Attorney’s Office.

Looking ahead, both officers are scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on the fraud charges. The LAPD is also expected to initiate an internal administrative hearing to assess the officers’ future with the department.