(KTLA) – A former Southern California police officer who was receiving disability payments for a head injury is facing multiple charges after prosecutors say she had been going to concerts and amusement parks, playing golf and even running in races.
The former Westminster Police Department officer, identified as 39-year-old Nicole Brown of Riverside, suffered a “minor abrasion to her forehead while attempting to arrest and handcuff an uncooperative suspect,” on March 30, 2022, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office stated in a news release.
Brown initially complained of headaches and dizziness, the DA’s office said, and would go on to report additional symptoms including trouble processing thoughts and words, and sensitivity to light and noise.
Brown was diagnosed with severe concussion syndrome after the initial complaints and placed on Total Temporary Disability (TTD), during which time she collected workers’ compensation benefits, including her full salary for the first year of TTD. (Officers still unable to work after the first year can receive two-thirds of their salary for an additional time period, the DA’s office said.)
In total, the Orange County District Attorney estimated that Brown had cost the city of Riverside “more than $600,000” in disability payments and medical expenses.
About a year after she went on TTD, however, several people familiar with Brown’s situation reported seeing her “dancing and drinking” at the Stagecoach music festival in Indio, California, according to the news release. Police were notified, and an investigation was launched.
Days afterward, she participated in a Zoom meeting with officials, during which time she claimed she “was unable to look at the screen,” according to the news release. Her stepfather, Peter Schuman, who the DA’s office identified as an attorney who specializes in workers’ compensation cases, spoke on her behalf, adding that Brown was “unable to do paperwork, and was uncertain that she could do phone calls due to her inability to process words or thoughts,” the office said.
The investigation into Brown’s actions ultimately determined that she had previously participated in numerous activities that may have exposed her to symptom-triggering events, including three soccer conferences, two 5K races, baseball games, online college courses, snowboarding and skiing trips, and a visit to Disneyland.
Brown has been charged with 15 total felonies, which include “nine felony counts of making a fraudulent statement to obtain compensation, six felony counts of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim, and one felony enhancement of committing an aggravated white collar crime over $100,000,” the release says.
If convicted of all counts, she could spend 22 years behind bars.
Schuman was charged with two felonies, including a fraud charge and a charge of assisting with an unlawful act. He faces eight years in prison.
