An Orange County juvenile corrections officer pleaded guilty Friday to insurance fraud and was sentenced to six months behind bars.
William Parker, 43, of Corona, pleaded guilty to a count of making a fraudulent statement and five counts of insurance fraud, all felonies. He was also ordered to pay about $41,000 in restitution.
Parker started working for the county as a deputy juvenile corrections officer in the Orange County Probation Department in June 2005. He was involved in a car collision in October 2007 while off duty and injured his back, prosecutors said.
Parker’s insurance claim in that collision resulted in a settlement, but he did not disclose his back injury to his bosses, prosecutors said.
On Sept. 28, 2010, Parker hurt his back while on the job, prompting him to file a Workers’ Compensation claim.
Parker’s car was rear-ended by another motorist on Feb. 14, 2012, but California Highway Patrol officials reported there were no injuries.
Parker went to his doctor nine days later, but did not report the collision earlier in the month, prosecutors said. He did not return to his job for another year, then he was given a desk job because of his back problems, prosecutors said.
Parker sued in March of 2013 over the car crash a year earlier. During a deposition in that civil case he lied about his injuries and said the reason he was off work for a year was because the county did not have a position for him, prosecutors said.
— City News Service