San Francisco police officer arrested for insurance fraud, theft

San Francisco, California – An active officer with the San Francisco Police Department was taken into custody on Monday, according to a statement released by the department. The officer is accused of making false claims about an accident and a damaged vehicle.

A San Francisco Superior Court judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Officer Adam Eatia on Wednesday, and two days later, the officer turned himself in to police. Eatia is charged with two counts of insurance fraud, identity theft, forgery and grand theft by false pretense.

Authorities received a tip that Eatia committed theft by false pretense after being involved in an accident, and SFPD Internal Affairs was prompted to conduct an investigation in August 2019. Eatia allegedly told the victim he crashed with that the damaged car was uninsured and then took money from them to help pay for repairs.

Additionally, the authorities say that Eatia impersonated a San Francisco police sergeant on the insurance claim form, which he submitted to the insurance company.

Eatia has been a member of the San Francisco Police Department for 15 years. He had been on a non-public-facing assignment since September 2021, while the investigation was ongoing.

“The actions of this SFPD member violate the law and regrettably fall far short of our department’s shared values. As sworn police officers, we have no higher obligation than to earn and maintain public trust, and we are disappointed that this incident detracts from the outstanding work done by our officers and non-sworn members every day,” Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement.