Nov. 13--A veteran Los Angeles Police officer pleaded not guilty Thursday to stealing public funds related to allegations of submitting fictitious military leave documents on several occasions.
Christine Bulicz, a 15-year LAPD officer and a California Army National Guard member, allegedly submitted fake military documents that enabled her to take more than $5,400 worth of paid time off from the department that she was not otherwise entitled to, according to police.
Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Bulicz with two counts of felony grand theft and one count of attempted grand theft after an LAPD investigation, according to a district attorney's spokeswoman. She faces up to four years and four months in jail if convicted.
Bulicz was taken into custody last month at police headquarters by LAPD detectives, according to the department. She was released on $30,000 bail.
The investigation into Bulicz began in November 2013. The department's Special Operations Division, which handles higher-priority internal inquiries that often involve surveillance, investigated for several months in conjunction with the California Army National Guard provost marshal's office.
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