Calif. Correctional Officer Arrested in Reported Scam

A High Desert State Prison (California) Correctional Officer, Johanna Raelyn Crawford, 32, was arrested recently after an investigation into alleged workers’ compensation fraud. Investigators discovered that her claims of sexual assault which caused her stress, anxiety and panic attacks and prevented her from doing her job were unfounded.

The California Department of Corrections (CDC) Office of Investigative Services, the Department of Insurance Fraud Division and the Amador County District Attorney’s Office conducted a joint investigation and arrested Crawford at her residence in Susanville. She was booked into the Lassen County jail on a total of seven felony counts of insurance fraud. Bail was set at $10,000.

Crawford, while assigned as a correctional officer at the Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, alleged that on at least two separate occasions while living and working in Amador County, she was sexually assaulted by another California Department of Corrections (CDC) employee.

The investigation revealed information that contradicted Crawford’s statements and alleged sexual assault claims. The investigation also revealed that she was never sexually assaulted and that she knowingly filed a fraudulent workers’ comp claim with the State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) eventually costing the carrier $2,514 in losses. Crawford also filed an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) claim that revealed additional false statements regarding the sexual assault.

The case will be prosecuted by the Amador County DA’s office. If convicted, Crawford could face up to five years in state prison and/or a maximum fine of $150,000. The investigation continues.