Costa Mesa officer pleads not guilty in fraud case

A Costa Mesa police officer pleaded not guilty in Orange County Superior Court on Tuesday to felony counts of insurance fraud and making fraudulent statements.

Ryan Patrick Natividad, 30, of Corona could be sentenced to six years in jail if he’s convicted on the two charges.

Prosecutors allege Natividad lied when he said he’d injured himself at work on Sept. 23, 2014, and then filed a workers compensation claim based on the incident.

According to court documents, Natividad allegedly said his hand was hurt while he was escorting an arrestee to the Costa Mesa Police Department jail.

Investigators, however, wrote in court documents that surveillance video contradicts Natividad’s account that his hand was pinned against the wall when the arrestee stumbled.

The Orange County district attorney’s office charged Natividad in July, but his lawyer requested the arraignment be delayed until Tuesday.

Both Natividad and attorney Michael Goldfeder declined to talk about the case.

Natividad is free on his own recognizance and is due back in court in February.

He is on paid administrative leave from his position at the Costa Mesa Police Department, according to city spokesman Tony Dodero.