LAPD cop sentenced for insurance fraud, filing false report

A Los Angeles judge today sentenced former veteran LAPD officer Anthony Razo to a year in jail. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports that Razo had pleaded guilty to insurance fraud, and to filing a false police report, in a closely watched case at the department.

A Los Angeles judge today sentenced former veteran LAPD officer Anthony Razo to a year in jail. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports that Razo had pleaded guilty to insurance fraud, and to filing a false police report, in a closely watched case at the department.

Frank Stoltze: Closely watched because in January, Razo reported he’d been attacked by two men outside his City Terrace home as he was heading out to a golf game with friends around 5 in the morning

Razo claimed that one of the men grabbed his police-issued gun and shot him in the arm. The chief of police denounced the attack. Fellow officers held fundraisers for their 49-year-old colleague.

Turns out the attack never happened. In a plea deal with prosecutors, Razo admitted he’d shot himself and filed a false report. He also admitted he’d set his own car on fire weeks earlier, and filed fraudulent insurance claims.

A judge ordered him to reimburse fellow officers who’d raised money for him, and to serve three years probation in addition to a year in jail. Police say their investigation into Razo continues.

Razo spent 14 years with the LAPD before he resigned Friday. Chief William Bratton called him a “disgrace to the badge.”