San Mateo County jail guard convicted of workers’ comp fraud

REDWOOD CITY » A 44-yearold former San Mateo County correctional officer will serve 10 days in jail after being convicted of workers’ compensation insurance fraud, prosecutors said.

Edmundo Rocha, a 20year veteran of the sheriff’s office, pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count through his attorney Wednesday, said District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

In addition to the brief jail sentence, Rocha must serve two years of court probation.

Thursday, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office announced that Rocha has resigned from his position as a correctional officer.

In October 2016, Rocha reported an injury from defensive tactics training a month earlier, according to prosecutors. He was diagnosed with a left shoulder sprain and offered workers’ compensation benefits. The sheriff’s office eventually placed him on total temporary disability.

Nine days after being sent home, Rocha participated in a Spartan Race, Wagstaffe said. A GoPro camera worn by one of his colleagues captured footage of him taking on many of the obstacles.

Rocha did not disclose his participation in the event when he saw a specialist about a month later, according to prosecutors.

Wagstaffe said Judge Susan Greenberg ordered Rocha to pay $5,000 in restitution to the county. Rocha’s defense attorney, Josh Bentley, presented a cashier’s check in that amount Wednesday.

Rocha’s employment sta- tus with the sheriff’s office wasn’t immediately known. He had been on administrative leave.

Wagstaffe said Rocha remains out of custody on his own recognizance and has until March 23 to surrender to the jail.