Calif. Police Officer Allegedly Caught Partying at Stagecoach and at Disneyland While Collecting $600k in Workers' Compensation

A California police officer is facing 15 felony charges and up to 22 years in prison after being accused of alleged workers’ compensation insurance fraud and stealing more than $600k from taxpayers. 

Nicole Brown, formerly of the Westminster Police Department, suffered a head injury in 2022 while attempting to handcuff a suspect and was later placed on disability.

According to a May 20 press release from the Office of the District Attorney of Orange County, Brown, 39, “complained to her watch commander that she had a headache and was feeling dizzy, but an emergency room doctor who examined her that same day released her back to work without restrictions.”

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Several days after the incident, Brown called in sick to work multiple days in a row and was later diagnosed with severe concussion syndrome and was placed on Total Temporary Disability, according to the release. 

Officers who receive a job-related injury are entitled to their full salary for up to a year in addition to any medical fees. The district attorney’s office claims that Brown cost Westminster more than $600,000 in tax payer money during her time on disability. 

While on her disability, Brown complained of “headaches, dizziness, sensitivity to light and noise, problems processing thoughts and words and an inability to work on the computer or do any screentime,” the release claims. 

However, an investigation alleged that while on disability, Brown was witnessed drinking and partying at the Stagecoach Music Festival in April 2023, despite the loud, crowded environment with temperatures over 100 degrees. 

She was also alleged to have gone to Disneyland, attended three AYSO soccer conferences, went snowboarding or skiing in Big Bear and Mammoth, ran two 5k races, played golf, took online courses with a university and attended baseball games. 

Brown’s stepfather Peter Schuman, who is a licensed attorney in California, has also been charged after being accused of aiding her in committing fraud by advocating on her behalf during a meeting to discuss what police duties she could perform. The meeting took place three days after the Stagecoach Music Festival. During the meeting, Brown allegedly “claimed she was unable to look at the screen” and was “sitting in a dark room” with Schuman speaking on her behalf, the release adds.

Schuman, 57, has been charged with one felony count of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim and one felony count of assisting, abetting, conspiring with and soliciting a person in unlawful act. Schuman is facing a maximum sentence of eight years in prison and could “suffer discipline by the State Bar of California,” according to the district attorney.

Brown has been charged with 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. If convicted on all counts, Brown could face up to 22 years in prison. 

The district attorney’s office tells PEOPLE Brown is due back in court July 9.

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Prior to her leave, Brown served as a Homeless Liaison Officer in Westminster. 

“I just don’t think that anyone is hopeless,” Brown told the site Behind the Badge in 2020. “This is not the prettiest job, dealing with the homeless. You might get someone off the streets and they might go back to the streets and it’s that cycle. But to actually be able to make an impact on someone’s life for the better is why I wanted this position.”

At the time, Brown’s partner Roland Perez said of her, “She has compassion. She is all about notes. Everything is organized. She keeps me focused.”