Los Angeles County DA opens investigation into alleged fraudsters who may have submitted false child sex abuse claims

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is investigating allegations that false claims of child sexual abuse may have been filed against the county, as it settled thousands of legitimate claims for a total of more than $4 billion.

DA Nathan Hochman announced the opening of the investigation on Wednesday during a news conference, where he said hundreds of claims are being investigated to determine whether fraud occurred.

"With respect to these fraudsters, and we estimated that there are a significant number of fraudsters involved in these fraudulent settlement claims, we're going to go after them," Hochman said. "We're going to go after them aggressively. We're going to go after them to put them behind bars, and we're going to go after them to send a message ... that you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be punished."

Hochman claimed the uptick in alleged fraud began after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 218 in Oct. 2019. The bill, among other things, drastically expanded the statute of limitations on the reporting of child sexual abuse crimes, granting several more years for victims to evaluate and report their experiences. 

As a result, Hochman said, thousands of new cases came in across LA County, many of which were against county employees working in the juvenile probation system.

On April 4 of this year, the county announced a settlement with about 6,800 claimants for $4 billion, the largest sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history. The claims ranged in timing, with allegations dating as far back as 1959, with a vast majority taking place in the 1980s,1990s and 2000s.

After news broke of the settlement, thousands more claims made their way into the system. Just last month, an additional $828 million settlement was approved.

Now, the DA's Office says the total amount of claims is up to 14,000, a number prosecutors expect to rise, along with the price tag .

Hochman claimed Wednesday that fraudsters are taking advantage of the law because many records of such cases have been destroyed, especially those dating back decades. 

Some of the culprits, Hochman said, could include law firms alleged to have paid off individuals to submit false sexual abuse claims against the county.

"This is criminal conduct that abuses the law and steals from victims and taxpayers," Hochman said. "I thank the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for their unwavering support of victims of childhood sexual abuse and their commitment to work with and provide resources to my Office and law enforcement to bring any and all fraudsters to justice. My Office unequivocally stands with survivors, not greedy opportunists who profit from others' pain."  

When asked for comment, the office for Gov. Newsom told CBS LA it would reach back out if it had "anything to add."