Ex-Deputy Accused of Doing a Fast Shuffle in Disability Claim

When Sheriff’s Deputy Deron Michael McBee filed a permanent disability claim, he declared that he could no longer work in law enforcement because of a back injury he had suffered while on duty at the Los Angeles County Jail.

Now, McBee is facing felony charges of attempted grand theft, perjury and filing a false claim with the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Assn.

The problem, authorities say, is that at the same time that he was pursuing his retirement action, he was bending, stooping and gyrating as an exotic dancer at Chippendales.

Prosecutors contend that the 28-year-old Woodland Hills resident, who resigned from the Sheriff’s Department in July, 1987, lied when he said he could no longer sit or stand for extended periods of time.

“He was continuing to assert and trying to pursue his work-related disability claim at the same time he was involved in activities that were totally inconsistent, namely dancing at Chippendales and playing in a racquetball tournament,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Edward G. Feldman, who filed the case.

Videotaped Evidence

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday in Los Angeles Municipal Court. Evidence against the muscular 6-foot 4-inch McBee includes videotapes made by two sheriff’s investigators of him dancing in a Chippendales all-male road show revue in Atlantic City in July, 1987.

A sheriff’s investigation report, filed in Municipal Court and signed by Deputy Susan St. Marie, describes McBee’s performance: “The suspect first appeared fully clothed, lip-synching to a song and made numerous gyrating movements emanating from the pelvic area.

“He proceeded to bend, stoop and turn throughout the performance on stage. He entered and exited the stage several times and then made a solo performance in a skit as a ‘chauffeur.’ During this skit and while on stage the suspect continued to bend, stoop and gyrate and remove all clothing except a ‘G-string.’

“He then proceeded into the audience, where women would ‘tip’ him for his performance. The suspect thanked each one of the women by kissing them. I observed him hug and pick up at least four women, each weighing in excess of 125 pounds during this ‘tipping’ session.”

Other evidence against McBee, who was arrested in mid-October and released on his own recognizance, includes a clipping from the South Jersey Shopper’s Guide and a Chippendales videocassette entitled “Tall, Dark and Handsome.” On the tape, authorities say, McBee has a brief role as a scantily clad, hard-hatted construction worker who douses himself with water and proceeds to wriggle under a dancing woman.

Lawyer’s Response

McBee, hired as a deputy sheriff in June, 1983, did not return a phone call for comment. But his lawyer, Paul J. Geragos, said his injury did not prevent him from dancing.

“We’re going to demonstrate . . . that he had a significant medical injury and that it was consistent with what he was claiming all along,” Geragos said Wednesday. “There was nothing inconsistent with what Deron was doing (at Chippendales) and what he complained about.”

What’s more, Geragos said, McBee was in pain while he was dancing.

In his disability papers, McBee claimed that he first injured his back on July 4, 1984, when he slipped on wet stairs at the County Jail. Fourteen months later, McBee declared, he re-injured his back when he was thrown against a wall during an altercation with an inmate.

McBee, who filed his application for disability retirement in August, 1986, received full pay for a year while not working as a result of his injury claim.

He eventually returned to work after receiving a medical opinion that he could perform light duties as a control booth officer at the jail. But after only four hours on the job, McBee informed his supervisors that he could not continue because he was in pain.

On April 1, 1987, McBee’s service-connected disability retirement claim was denied and he filed an appeal.

Aided by Ex-Girlfriend

During Deputy St. Marie’s investigation, she was informed by Chippendales that McBee had been employed there part time and earned about $900 a month.

St. Marie and a fellow deputy then learned that McBee, who authorities say used his real name while performing, was taking part in Chippendales’ road show at the Claridge Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. In addition to taping his dance routine, the deputies reported overhearing McBee’s post-performance comments to a group of fans seated at a bar.

McBee, according to the deputies, said he was “really looking for a part in a soap opera” and believed his Chippendales job was a means to launch his acting career.

McBee no longer works for the nightclub, where he danced off and on for two years. The club itself has faced a slew of legal problems in recent months. Forced after its fire permit was revoked to move from its original Westside location to downtown Los Angeles, Chippendales was hit last week with discrimination charges for allegedly barring male undercover vice officers posing as patrons.

McBee, who faces a maximum prison sentence of four years if convicted, withdrew his disability retirement appeal claim after learning of the sheriff’s investigation, according to Feldman. But the claim, which allegedly stated that he was solely employed by the county at a time that he also worked for the nightclub, was filed under penalty of perjury, the prosecutor said.

In the meantime, a workers’ compensation claim filed by McBee is still pending, according to the county counsel’s office.

The felony charges were not filed for more than a year, according to Feldman, because the case is “fairly complex in the legal analysis.”

“The evidence might be very strong,” Feldman said, “but we wanted to be sure it was consistent.”