A former Westminster police officer was charged with committing workers’ compensation insurance fraud after she allegedly drank and danced at a Stagecoach country music festival, went to Disneyland and took ski trips while claiming she was completely disabled due to a head injury, authorities said Tuesday, May 20.
Nicole Brown, 39, of Riverside was paid more than $600,000 by the city of Westminster while she claimed she was unable to perform duties as a police officer after suffering a minor abrasion to her forehead during the arrest of an uncooperative suspect on March 21, 2022, said Kimberly Edds, spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Brown called in sick for several days following the arrest and was placed on “total temporary disability” on March 30, 2022 after being diagnosed with severe concussion syndrome, Edds said.
The officer told the department she was experiencing “headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light and noise, problems processing thoughts and words and an inability to work on the computer or do any screentime,” according to Edds.
However, on April 29, 2023, several people who knew Brown was off work on total disability spotted her drinking and dancing at the Stagecoach Music Festival with loud music, bright lights and around some 75,000 others in attendance in temperatures at 100 degrees or above, Edds said.
Her behavior was reported to Westminster police officials, who then presented a case to the OCDA’s office for investigation, she said.
DA’s investigators learned that during a Zoom meeting with the department three days after the festival, Brown claimed she was unable to look at her screen and was sitting in a dark room.
Her stepfather, a licensed attorney who practices workers’ compensation defense on behalf of insurance companies, told the department she was unable to do paperwork and was uncertain about her ability to handle phone calls due to her inability to process words or thoughts, Edds said.
During the investigation, officials learned that three days after suffering the injury, Brown called in sick, but went to an AYSO soccer conference in San Diego, where she attended multiple sessions with PowerPoint presentations, Edds said.
While on disability, she ran two 5K races, went snowboarding or skiing in Big Bear and Mammoth, attended two more AYSO conferences, played golf, went to Disneyland and took online courses with a local university.
Brown’s charges include nine felony counts of making a fraudulent statement to obtain compensation, six felony counts of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim and one count of enhancement of committing aggravated white collar crime over $100,000, Edds said.
She faces a possible maximum sentence of 22 years in state prison if convicted as charged.
Brown’s stepfather, 57-year-old Peter Gregory Schuman of Buena Park, was charged with one felony count each of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim and assisting, abetting or conspiring with and soliciting a person in an unlawful act.
He faces a maximum possible sentence of eight years in state prison if convicted as charged and may be disciplined by the State Bar of California.
Should Brown be convicted of a felony, she will forfeit pension credits back to the state, Edds said.
When officers are injured on the job and unable to work, they may be entitled to disability benefits under the workers’ compensation system, Edds said. In those cases, an officer will receive his or her full salary for up to one year, paid by the city, county or state agency of which the officer is employed. After the one-year period, the officer then transitions to regular workers’ compensation benefits and is paid two-thirds of their average weekly wage up to 104 weeks within a five-year period.
It was not immediately clear Tuesday whether Brown or Schuman had attorneys who could comment on their behalf.
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