SMC Officer Resigns After Workers' Comp Scandal

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — A 44-year-old San Mateo County sheriff's correctional officer who pleaded no contest to misdemeanor workers' compensation fraud has resigned, sheriff's officials said Thursday.

Edmundo Rocha was sentenced Wednesday to 10 days in county jail after pleading no contest to the charge, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said. Rocha was with the Sheriff's Office for 20 years.

Rocha was diagnosed with a left shoulder sprain and was offered workers' compensation benefits. His doctor ordered him to be on modified duty, but the sheriff's office eventually had him stay out of work on total temporary disability, prosecutors said.

However, while on disability, he ran in a Spartan Race and a GoPro camera worn by a fellow sheriff's employee captured Rocha navigating obstacles in the course. When he went to see a specialist weeks later, he did not disclose that he was able to participate in the race.

Along with the 10-day jail sentence, which can be served in Sacramento County where Rocha lives, Rocha was also sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution, Wagstaffe said.

Rocha's attorney Josh Bentley presented a check for $5,000 in restitution to the court Wednesday, the district attorney said.

Rocha will surrender to authorities on March 23 to serve the jail sentence, Wagstaffe said.

"The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office takes any violations of the law involving personnel very seriously," sheriff's officials noted in a statement.

Bentley did not respond to a request for comment.

— By Bay City News Service / Image via Shutterstock