Criminal charges have been filed against three long-time Los Angeles County probation officers who allegedly altered medical records to avoid being assigned to full duties at juvenile detention facilities, the District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Christopher Leho, 51, of Rancho Cucamonga, was charged with three misdemeanor counts of alteration of medical records, while Octavia Davis, 55, of San Bernardino, and Diane Bullock Smith, 61, of Palmdale, were each charged with one misdemeanor count of alteration of medical records, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
No arraignment date has been set yet.
“Being a probation officer is a tough job, but you don’t get to cheat your way out of it,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement announcing the charges. “Altering medical records to avoid duty is a calculated abuse of the system, a disservice to the youth in their care, and an unfair burden on their coworkers.”
Prosecutors said the allegedly fraudulent notes limited the three to desk duty or improperly prolonged reduced activity to avoid full-time work.
Leho, a 28-year employee, is accused of altering a doctor’s note to create three fraudulent medical notes between August 2023 and May 2024 that restricted him to desk work, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Davis, a 31-year employee, allegedly altered an authentic medical note in February 2024 that initially limited her to modified activity for 14 days, extending it to six months, while Bullock Smith, a 28-year employee, allegedly altered an authentic medical note that initially limited her to modified activity for eight days, extending it to two years, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
If convicted as charged, Leho faces up to one year and six months in county jail, while Davis and Bullock Smith could each face up to 180 days in county jail, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
In the statement released by the District Attorney’s Office, Chief Probation Officer Guillermo Viera Rosa said, “Accountability is fundamental to our mission and to maintaining public trust. These allegations are serious, and we will not tolerate staff misconduct that undermines the integrity of our department … This conduct is an affront to the many honorable and dedicated probation officers who endure hardship and show up every day to serve.”
The three will be “placed on ordered absence,” according to the Probation Department.