Overview

• Nicole Brown, a former Westminster police officer, is accused of fraudulently collecting over $600,000 in workers’ compensation benefits after claiming she was fully disabled from a minor work injury in 2022.
• Prosecutors allege Brown attended music festivals, ran 5K races, skied, visited Disneyland, and took online courses while on total temporary disability leave.
• Her stepfather, Peter Gregory Schuman, a workers’ compensation attorney, is charged with conspiring to facilitate the fraudulent claims and faces up to eight years in prison.
• The Orange County District Attorney’s Office launched an investigation after Brown was spotted at the Stagecoach Music Festival in April 2023, leading to the discovery of other activities contradicting her disability claims.
• If convicted, Brown could face 15 felony counts, a maximum sentence of 22 years, and the forfeiture of pension credits accrued since the alleged fraud began.