A former police officer who is facing a litany of felony charges for allegedly faking a disability and then attending the Stagecoach Music Festival is now being sued by the city that employed her.
Riverside resident Nicole Brown, 39, is being sued by Westminster, the city announced on Wednesday, and local officials are hoping “to recover all of the funds [paid as disability payments] — over $600,000 — as well as hold the officer accountable for this [breach] of public trust.”
“The lawsuit seeks repayment of all disability and medical payments, benefits, and other funds unlawfully obtained by Brown; and seeks to recover costs associated with investigation and prosecution of the lawsuit,” the city said.
Brown has been charged with multiple felonies:
- Nine counts of making a fraudulent statement to obtain compensation
- Six counts of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim
- One felony enhancement of committing an aggravated white collar crime over $100,000
Prosecutors and the city allege that Brown, who claimed to suffer a lingering concussion that left her with headaches, dizziness and extra sensitivity to light and loud noises, was able to participate in a variety of activities that should have been precluded by the condition that put her on disability leave.
Those activities include dancing and drinking at the Stagecoach Music Festival in Coachella Valley, running two 5Ks and visiting Disneyland, among other examples.
“This former police officer has betrayed the public trust. We owe it to our residents and to the honest, hard-working officers in our police department to seek to recover these funds,” Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen said in the city’s release. “Our residents count on us to protect their taxpayer dollars and ensure that employees who are actually injured receive the support they need to recover. Fraud will not be tolerated in Westminster.”
In her criminal case, Brown faces up to 22 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Additionally, her father-in-law, workers’ compensation attorney Peter Gregory Schuman, 57, of Buena Park, faces two felony charges for allegedly assisting Brown in her scheme.
He faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.
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