The Los Angeles County Fire Department captain is facing felony charges following allegations of forging a labor injury and forging a doctor’s note to fraudulent thousands of dollars in disability payments, authorities said.
According to the LA County District Attorney’s Office, Thomas Merryman, 45, allegedly received more than $25,000 in insurance claims for work injuries that were not done because he was not at work.
He is said to be able to file fake paperwork in the names of another fire chief and a doctor at a colonial life insurance company, and claim payments for long-term disability, prosecutors said.
Merryman, who is currently believed to live in Georgetown, Texas, is being charged with one felony of insurance fraud, one felony of false human rights and two felony of forgery, prosecutors said. He is scheduled to be arrested in Los Angeles on September 9th.
If convicted of being charged, he faces up to five years in state prisons, authorities said.
A statement from the District Attorney’s Office did not provide additional information on Merryman’s history in the department or in his current employment status. According to Transparent California, an online database tracking salaries for civil servants identified as LA County fire chiefs, a civil servant of the same name, received $178,466 and $112,687 benefits in 2024.
“A claim for false failure under my watch will not be tolerated, particularly by the first responders accused of maintaining the safety of our county,” La County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “False healthcare claims raise premiums and make it more difficult for people with legitimate labor injuries to claim benefits. My message to civil servants who have abused the system is clear: we’re looking at you.”
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