SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco Police Officer, Adam Eatia, who is a 15-year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department, was arrested on Friday, June 24, and is facing charges of theft, fraud, and forgery.
Eatia allegedly committed theft by false pretense after he was involved in a vehicle collision. While off-duty, he claimed that his vehicle was uninsured and took money from the other party as compensation for damages. It is also alleged that Eatia impersonated an SFPD sergeant on a car insurance application and made “fraudulent representations” to his car insurance provider.
According to a release from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, Eatia bought a 2018 Ford Mustang in spring 2018 with a fellow police officer. The other officer insured the vehicle with Mercury Insurance under his own name. Eatia was not included in this policy.
When the collision first transpired in July 2018, he did not tell Mercury insurance he was the primary driver and instead claimed he was only an occasional driver of the car. Mercury paid over $6,000 in claims for the collision and later cancelled the policy because Eatia was not listed on it.
In March 2019, Eatia got the car insured through Allstate using his fellow officer’s name without his knowledge. According to a press release, Eatia impersonated the owner and forged his signature to obtain the insurance.
In days after insuring the car, he loaned the car to a friend who totaled it. Eatia asserted that the car was not insured and that his friend should pay $49,000 to cover the cost of the car’s damages. It was reported that his friend did pay him the money for the vehicle, but Eatia also filed a claim with Allstate that paid out $30,000.
“The actions of this SFPD member violate the law and regrettably fall far short of our department’s shared values,” said SF Police Chief Bill Scott in a statement. “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.”
According to San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, Eatia was released after posting a $40,000 bail.
He is scheduled to be arraigned July 25 and is currently serving a non-public role. He has been serving this role since September of 2021 when the investigation began.
