A former Westminster police officer is being sued by the city for allegedly faking a disability and collecting over $600,000 in workers' compensation payments.
Former officer Nicole Brown claimed she was no longer able to work after suffering an on-duty head injury in March 2022. But while Brown was on full disability, the city says she was living “an active lifestyle,” visiting Disneyland, going skiing, dancing at the Stagecoach country music festival, and running 5K races.
The city alleges that Brown committed fraud with the help of her stepfather, Peter Gregory Schuman, who is a licensed attorney specializing in workers' compensation matters. On July 9, Westminster filed suit against Brown. Officials are hoping to recoup all of the money paid.
“We owe it to our residents and to the honest, hard-working officers in our police department to seek to recover these funds," said Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen. "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 addition to the civil suit, Brown has been charged with 15 felony counts by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. She faces up to 22 years in prison if convicted. Her stepfather has been charged with conspiring and soliciting someone in an unlawful act, which carries a sentence of up to eight years.