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OC judge to resign as part of plea deal for workers comp fraud
Orange County's courthouse in Santa Ana
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Jill Replogle
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LAist
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OC judge resigns after pleading guilty to mail fraud
Orange County Judge Israel Claustro pleaded guilty Monday to one count of mail fraud for his role in a scheme to defraud California’s workers compensation fund. LAist's Jill Replogle reports.
Topline:
An Orange County judge is resigning, his lawyer says, as part of a plea deal for his role in defrauding California’s workers compensation fund.
Who’s the judge? Israel Claustro, a longtime prosecutor who won election to Orange County Superior Court in 2022.
What did he do? While working as an O.C. prosecutor, Claustro also owned a company that billed the state for medical evaluations of injured workers. That was illegal because, in California, you have to be licensed to practice medicine to own a medical corporation.
Anyone else involved? Claustro’s partner in the business was a doctor who had previously been suspended for health care fraud, and therefore was prohibited from being involved in workers’ comp claims. Claustro knew this, and paid him anyway, according to court filings from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
What’s in the plea deal? The deal requires Claustro to resign as a judge and plead guilty to one count of mail fraud. He could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, but the U.S. Attorney’s Office is recommending probation instead, as part of the deal.
In an email to LAist, Claustro’s lawyer, Paul Meyer, said his client “deeply regrets” his wrongful participation in the business venture, and was resigning as judge “in good faith, with sadness.”
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What’s next: Claustro is expected to make his initial appearance Jan. 12 in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
Go deeper… on the latest in Orange County.
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