A Los Angeles Police Department officer is facing insurance fraud charges, accused by authorities of doing activities such as skydiving while collecting temporary disability benefits.
Officer Christopher Carnahan, 43, claimed his elbow was injured while on duty in May 2023, and was put on leave as someone with temporary totally disabled status, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday
But proseuctors allege that Officer Carnahan went skydiving numerous times at a facility in Lake Elsinore, California, roughly 69 miles southeast of Los Angeles. He is also accused of working out at a fitness center during the period in which he was collecting disability benefits.
Officer Carnahan is an 18-year veteran of the LAPD, according to KCBS-TV.
The website of fitness company Soflete linked Officer Carnahan to an Instagram account showing numerous skydives, including one made into the Rose Bowl in November 2025 to deliver the game ball for a California high school football championship game.
Prosecutors have charged Officer Carnahan with two counts of felony insurance fraud. His arraignment has not yet been scheduled and he is being held on $100,000 bail.
If he is found guilty, Officer Carnahan will serve a state prison sentence of up to six years in a Los Angeles County jail, the district attorney’s office said.
The LAPD, which is investigating the matter, said its Special Operations Division Major Complaint Unit “is committed to aggressively investigating fraud and benefits abuse to ensure accountability, safeguard public resources, and uphold the integrity of the department,” in a statement to KCBS-TV.
The department did not specify whether Officer Carnahan has yet faced any workplace discipline.
“This case is about honesty and accountability. Claiming to be temporarily totally disabled and collecting disability benefits intended for injured workers while engaging in physically demanding activities like skydiving is a crime. This is an officer who knows the law and understands the standards he is sworn to uphold,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman.
