A former Westminster police officer claimed that workers who allegedly blocked her from working had paid more than $600,000 in compensation, but also hit the hillside of Mammoth Mountain, visited Disneyland and danced in Stagecoach, prosecutors said.
Nicole Brown, 39, of Riverside, was charged with 15 felony charges related to worker compensation insurance fraud, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. If all charges are committed, she faces up to 22 years in prison. If a felony is convicted, she may also lose her pension credits for the felony.
Prosecutors said Brown suffered a minor cut on his forehead when he tried to deduct the handcuffs of the uncooperative suspect in March 2022. The emergency room doctor released her work the same day without any restrictions.
But Brown hasn't returned for more than a year.
Prosecutors said she was diagnosed with severe concussion syndrome days after her injury and was placed on temporary disability leave.
"Ms. Brown is not guilty of alleged charges of prosecutors," her attorney Brian Gurwitz told the Times. "Her duties were severely injured and intended to fight these charges."
Brown is accused of fraudulently collecting more than $600,000 from New York City during her leave, including her full salary-tax-free-medical expenses.
Prosecutors accused her stepfather, Peter Gregory Schuman, 57, of working with Brown to orchestrate a compensation plan for fraudulent workers. Prosecutors said Schumann, a lawyer based in Buena Park, performed a worker compensation defense on behalf of the insurance company.
Guwitz said he is getting legal representation. Schumann did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Brown said during her disability that she couldn't work due to headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light and noise, problems with handling thoughts and words, and problems with not being able to work on the screen, prosecutors said.
However, authorities claimed that in April 2023, she saw her dancing and drinking at the stage music festival - and there were more than 75,000 festival attendees, loud music, bright lights and temperatures over 100 degrees.
Her presence at the festival was reported to the Westminster Police Department, which referred the case to the District Attorney’s Office for investigation.
The DA's office said that it was then discovered that during the holidays, Brown allegedly skied or skied in Mammoth Mountain and the Big Bears, participated in two 5K games, participated in three football conferences, visited Disneyland, played golf and participated in online courses at local universities.
Prosecutors said she was on Stagecoach three days after Brown held a Zoom meeting to discuss her responsibilities as a police officer.
Prosecutors said Brown sat in a dark room during the meeting, claiming she could not see the screen. Schuman made all the conversation and said she couldn't do paperwork and might not be able to make phone calls. Prosecutors said Brown was admitted as a brain trauma center after the meeting.
She was charged with nine counts of fraudulent statements for compensation, six counts of filing fraudulent insurance benefits claims and one strengthening a serious white-collar crime of more than $100,000, all felony crimes. According to court records, her stepfather was charged with one felony charge of filing a fraudulent insurance benefit claim and a felony to assist, teach betting, conspiracy and seek a person with illegal conduct.
According to reports behind the badge, Brown attended the Police Academy at Rio Bento College and was sworn in in February 2019. She was a homeless liaison officer while in the department, helping to connect people experiencing homelessness to resources, according to media reports.