On February 26, 2026, LAPD Officer Christopher Brandon Carnahan, 43, an 18-year veteran of the force, was charged with two felony counts of insurance fraud for allegedly exaggerating a 2023 on-duty elbow injury to collect full disability benefits after he was caught engaging in skydiving at Skydive Elsinore and lifting weights at the gym.
Currently held on $100,000 bail, he faces up to six years in prison. DA Nathan Hochman emphasized accountability, noting that such fraud undermines benefits for truly injured workers. The LAPD is reviewing his employment amid an internal probe.
Explaining the situation, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said, “This case is about honesty and accountability. Claiming to be temporarily totally disabled and collecting disability benefits intended for injured workers while engaging in physically demanding activities like skydiving is a crime. This is an officer who knows the law and understands the standards he is sworn to uphold.”
Adding context, an official LAPD statement read, “A Los Angeles police officer was charged today with two counts of felony insurance fraud for allegedly exaggerating an on-duty injury to collect disability benefits while participating in recreational skydiving and other physical activity.”
“Christopher Brandon Carnahan (dob 6/30/82) of Norwalk is charged in case 26CJCF01236 with two counts of felony insurance fraud. His arraignment will be scheduled for a later date. He is being held on $100,000 bail,” the official source noted, “If convicted as charged, Carnahan faces up to six years state prison to be served in county jail.”
Building on this point, the statement explained the alleged injury, saying, “On May 22, 2023, Officer Carnahan purportedly injured his left elbow while on duty and was subsequently placed on Temporary Totally Disabled (TTD) status.”
“Prosecutors allege that while on TTD status, Carnahan completed many skydives at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore, California and worked out at a fitness center, contrary to his claims of being temporarily totally disabled,” the LAPD asserted.
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Concluding the document, the police explained how the suspect will be prosecuted. “The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Arunas Sodonis of the Healthcare Fraud Division and investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department,” the statement concluded.
Reacting to the news on social media, one social media user posted, “Los Angeles police officer Christopher Brandon Carnahan faces felony insurance fraud charges for allegedly skydiving while receiving disability benefits for an on-duty injury.”
Offering context to the arrest, one post on social media read, “Look, there are many reasons to hate insurance companies, and you might feel inclined to rip them off with a fake Disability or injury claim. Here’s the thing, though, if you file a claim for, for example, a hurt elbow, [then] your insurance company is allowed to observe you. And they can go extremely far with that.”
“Insurance companies have routinely sent out entire Pinkerton teams (yes, they still exist ) to observe a single client. to see if that client really did get hurt. And when they find out that you’re not injured,” the same user stated, “They aren’t exactly known for being merciful.”
Watch Dr. Oz comment on the fraud in California in late October: