Ex-Costa Mesa police officer receives 6-month jail sentence for insurance fraud

A former Costa Mesa Police Department officer convicted earlier this year on felony charges of insurance fraud and making a fraudulent statement to obtain compensation was sentenced Monday to six months in county jail.

Ryan Patrick Natividad, 32, of Corona also received three years formal probation and was ordered to pay restitution, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s office.

The charges stemmed from an incident in 2014 when Natividad — then a Costa Mesa police officer — claimed he had injured his hand while escorting a suspect into the city jail. He said he had slammed his fist against a brick wall to prevent the suspect from stumbling.

Natividad filed a workers’ compensation claim, and the Police Department directed him to seek immediate medical attention.

Prosecutors said the city looked into his claim and, after reviewing the jail surveillance camera footage, determined Natividad’s reported incident never occurred.

Authorities later said he had apparently injured his hand while off duty.

[email protected]

Twitter @LukeMMoney