Gabriel Fernandez is shown in this undated file photo. 
 
 Four social workers were charged with child abuse and falsifying public records in the death of an 8-year-old Palmdale boy in 2013.Gabriel Fernandez died two years ago in May. Prosecutors said he was the victim of repeated abuse."Social workers play a vital role in society. We entrust them to protect our children from harm," District Attorney Jackie Lacey said in a statement. "When their negligence is so great as to become criminal, young lives are put at risk."A complaint for an arrest warrant filed on March 28 charges social workers Stefanie Rodriguez, 30, and Patricia Clement, 65, and their respective supervisors, Kevin Bom, 36, and Gregory Merritt, 60, each with one felony count of child abuse and one felony count of falsifying public records, according to the district attorney's office.The young boy suffered a fractured skull, several broken ribs and had been shot with a BB gun. He was declared dead on May 24, 2013.The boy's mother, 31-year-old Pearl Sinthia Fernandez, and her former boyfriend, 35-year-old Isauro Aguirre, have both been charged with capital murder in Gabriel's death.The family of Gabriel Fernandez held a news conference after the charges were announced."I have a message for the four social workers. You've brought this upon yourself. Your conviction will be our greatest victory," said Emily Carranza, the boy's cousin.The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) opened a case on the boy in October 2012. Following an investigation into Gabriel's death, the four social workers were fired.One of the four successfully appealed his termination to the county's Civil Service Commission and has been reinstated, prompting Children's Services to appeal that ruling in court.The district attorney's office said that Rodriguez and Clement are accused of falsifying reports that should have documented signs of Gabriel's escalating physical abuse, and Bom and Merritt knew or should have known that they were approving false reports that conflicted with the evidence of Gabriel's deteriorating physical well-being."We believe these social workers were criminally negligent and performed their legal duties with willful disregard for Gabriel's well-being," Lacey said. "They should be held responsible for their actions."DCFS Director Philip Browning said in a statement, "I want to make it unambiguously clear that the defendants do not represent the daily work, standards or commitment of our dedicated social workers, who, like me, will not tolerate conduct that jeopardizes the well-being of children. For the vast majority of those who choose this demanding career, it is nothing short of a calling."The four were scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, but the arraignment was postponed until April 21. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years in state prison. 

 LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Four Los Angeles County social workers have been charged with child abuse and falsifying public records in the death of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez three years ago, prosecutors announced Thursday. 
 
 Social workers 30-year-old Stefanie Rodriguez, 65-year-old Patricia Clement and their supervisors 36-year-old Kevin Bom and 60-year-old Gregory Merritt were each charged with one felony count each of child abuse and falsifying public records, according to District Attorney Jackie Lacey. 
 
 “I have a message for the four social workers: You brought this upon yourself. Your conviction will be our greatest victory,” said the victim’s cousin Emily Carranza. 
 
 COMPLETE COVERAGE: Gabriel Fernandez 
 
 Prosecutors said as employees of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Rodriguez, Clement, Bom and Merritt “had a legal duty” to protect Fernandez from the time the case was opened on Oct. 31, 2012, until he was declared dead on May 24, 2013. 
 
 Fernandez died from multiple injuries, including a fractured skull, broken ribs and burns over his body, prosecutors said. 
 
 Rodriguez and Clement are accused of falsifying reports that prosecutors said should have documented signs of Gabriel’s escalating physical abuse and the family’s lapsed participation in DCFS efforts to provide help to maintain the family. 
 
 “We believe these social workers were criminally negligent and performed their legal duties with willful disregard for Gabriel’s well-being,” Lacey said. “They should be held responsible for their actions.” 
 
 Prosecutors alleged that Bom and Merritt “knew or should have known” that they were approving false reports that conflicted with the evidence of Gabriel’s deteriorating physical well-being and allowing him to remain at home until his death. 
 
 DCFS Director Philip Browning said the defendants failed to follow protocols, and changes have been made. “I think one thing that’s different is the fact that that tragic situation has sensitized all of our staff to the consequences of actions which they take every day,” he said. 
 
 The four defendants’ bail has been set at $100,000 each. They are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning. 
 
 If convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years in state prison. 

 In an interview with The Times on Thursday, Browning said he had referred the social workers' case notes to the district attorney in 2013 "to make sure we didn't miss anything," but he was not aware that a criminal investigation was gathering steam, and he said he was surprised when he learned that charges were filed.
– In what the Los Angeles Times describes as a "rare" move, social workers have been charged with a crime following the death of a child. Gabriel Fernandez, 8, died in Palmdale in 2013 after his mother and her boyfriend allegedly tortured him—pepper spraying him, making him eat his vomit, stuffing a sock in his mouth and trapping him in a cabinet, and eventually allegedly beating him to death with a wooden club. Several agencies had looked into abuse claims at Gabriel's home in the months before his death, but no one removed him from the home and his case was closed shortly before he died. Gabriel's mother and her boyfriend have been charged with murder and are awaiting trial. Prosecutors say the social workers knew Gabriel had a BB pellet in his chest, and had written a suicide note, but never sent him to get a mental health assessment or medical care. Stefanie Rodriguez, Patricia Clement, Kevin Bom, and Gregory Merritt have each been charged with child abuse and falsifying public records, felonies that carry a total possible prison sentence of 10 years, CBS LA reports. Rodriguez and Clement are charged with falsifying the reports so the escalating physical abuse Gabriel was suffering was not shown, and prosecutors say supervisors Bom and Merritt approved the reports when they should have known they were falsified, ABC 7 reports. "Social workers play a vital role in society. We entrust them to protect our children from harm," the DA says in a statement. "We believe these social workers were criminally negligent and performed their legal duties with willful disregard for Gabriel's well-being."