A former deputy collected $62,000 in disability pay, then cameras caught him doing the one thing he swore he couldn’t do

Jordan Faatiga, a 35-year-old former San Mateo County sheriff’s deputy, has pleaded no contest to workers’ compensation fraud after authorities said he was collecting disability benefits while going to the gym. As detailed by the New York Post, investigators found that Faatiga collected roughly $62,000 in benefits during the period in question. He submitted paperwork claiming an on-duty elbow injury had left him completely unable to work.

That injury claim allowed him to collect tens of thousands of dollars through a program designed to support employees genuinely hurt on the job. Surveillance footage reportedly captured him powering through intense gym workouts instead of resting the injury he said kept him from his duties. Faatiga served as a deputy in San Mateo County from 2022 to 2025.

During that stretch, his reported earnings grew substantially, climbing from about $92,000 in 2022 to more than $293,000 within three years. Workers’ compensation benefits are not typically reflected in public salary databases, meaning his total pay during that window was likely higher than what those records show. Faatiga’s plea closes out a case that began with the surveillance discovery.

Other officers have been caught in similar situations

This case is not an isolated one. In February 2026, an 18 year veteran of the LAPD was charged with felony insurance fraud after also claiming a debilitating elbow injury while allegedly being spotted skydiving and working out at a fitness center.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the case was “about honesty and accountability,” pointing to the gap between the officer’s claimed disability and his documented activities. The LAPD case followed a pattern similar to Faatiga’s, with a claimed injury undercut by footage of physical activity.

Public accusations of dishonesty involving money have drawn attention elsewhere too, amid a wave of similar disputes playing out online, including one where a crowd surrounds her over crypto accusation went viral. Workers’ compensation in California operates as a no-fault system, meaning injured employees do not have to prove someone else was at fault to recover medical costs or lost wages.

Because the system is designed to be accessible, it has also become a target for fraud, ranging from exaggerated injuries to more complex schemes involving doctors and lawyers. In 2023, a married couple working as Tustin police officers was charged after claiming chronic back pain and collecting more than $180,000 in benefits, only to be seen mountain biking and boating on vacation.

Law enforcement encounters have also drawn scrutiny in other contexts recently, including footage where ICE agents detaining a woman sparked a separate dispute caught on camera. The Workers’ Compensation Fraud Program, established in 1991, made this type of fraud a felony and created dedicated funding for investigations and prosecutions.

During the 2023-24 fiscal year, the Fraud Division identified nearly 3,000 suspected fraud cases and made 128 arrests. District attorneys across 34 counties prosecuted more than 1,000 workers’ compensation fraud cases that same fiscal year, according to the California Department of Insurance.