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Two former California police officers, who are married, were charged with multiple felonies in connection with their false workers’ compensation claims.
Kendal Hurd, 40, and her husband, Kyle Hurd, 38, were both charged with multiple felony counts of insurance fraud and multiple counts of perjury or attempted perjury, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
The ex-Tustin police officers claimed they suffered from chronic back pain due to wearing their belts and vests on duty that prevented them from working, and they collected more than $180,000 in disability money.
Both lost their jobs with the Tustin Police Department in July 2021.
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Tustin Police vehicle (Tustin Police)
Video surveillance, as well as photos and videos taken by the couple, allegedly revealed the former officers participated in an active lifestyle while receiving workers’ compensation wages for their purported injuries.
The two were allegedly documented mountain biking and boating during their vacation in Mammoth, California. Evidence was also allegedly discovered showing the couple flying internationally, scuba diving and working on various home improvement projects.
Mr. Hurd filed a workers’ compensation claim in December 2018 when he alleged that he was suffering from constant back pain due to wearing his duty belt and gear and getting in and out of his patrol car.
In October 2019, Mrs. Hurd filed a nearly identical workers’ compensation claim after returning to work from the international scuba trip. She claimed that her chronic back pain stemmed from wearing her duty belt and vest and twisting while entering and exiting her patrol vehicle.
The couple allegedly told their workers’ compensation doctors that their pain worsened with physical activity and improved with rest.
The City of Tustin began the surveillance of the Hurds after the couple had been receiving medical care for several months for the same condition without improvement.
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Tustin Police car (Tustin Police)
The surveillance allegedly showed the couple sliding down a water slide, lifting children, riding bikes, paddleboarding, going to Pilates classes, playing in the water at Lake Mission Viejo and other physical activities.
The active lifestyle allegedly contradicted what the couple told their doctors and what they testified to under oath in their depositions. Mrs. Hurd allegedly claimed she could not lift more than three pounds unless supervised during physical therapy and that she could not stand for longer than five minutes without experiencing severe pain.
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Authorities allegedly found a text Mr. Hurd sent to one of his friends after his suspension in which he bragged about receiving medical treatment he did not need because he was a “good actor.”
“Workers’ compensation fraud results in honest, hardworking business and government entities losing more than $30 billion a year,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “This is such an egregious breach of the public’s trust by two people who were sworn to uphold our laws, not break them.”
Mrs. Hurd faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in state prison if convicted on all counts, while Mr. Hurd faces a maximum sentence of nine years and six months in state prison if convicted on all counts.
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