Latest news with #NicoleBrown
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Ex-cop sued after allegedly faking disability while claiming $600K
A California ex-cop who allegedly partied and took Disney trips while collecting hefty disability checks is being sued for the $600,000 she ripped off from the city. Nicole Brown, 39, was charged with 15 felonies in May after authorities found she was faking a disability for an extensive leave from the Westminster Police Department , according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. On top of the charges, Westminster officials announced they are fighting back against Brown on Wednesday. In March 2022, Brown hurt her forehead while handcuffing a suspect. She called off sick for days and claimed she was diagnosed with severe concussion syndrome from the incident. Her diagnosis meant she was suffering from headaches, dizziness, light and noise sensitivity, and cognitive issues. But prosecutors allegedly found the only injury she sustained was a cut - and the emergency room cleared her to return to work the same day. They said that with the help of her step-father Peter Gregory Schuman, a workers' compensation attorney, she fraudulently collected benefits and made baseless insurance benefit claims. Her disability benefits included her full salary, which was tax-free, and all of her medical expenses, according to the DA's office. Brown's story started unfolding when she was spotted drinking and dancing at the Stagecoach Music Festival in April 2023. More than 750,000 people attended the rowdy event at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. With music blaring and temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, it was likely one of the last places someone with a concussion would find themselves. The police department heard about Brown's eventful weekend and she was called to an interactive Zoom meeting to assess her abilities three days later. 'During the meeting Brown claimed she was unable to look at the screen,' the DA's office wrote. Schuman, who has been charged with two felonies for allegedly aiding Brown's scheme, was also at the meeting to advocate for his step-daughter. He said 'she was unable to do paperwork, and was uncertain that she could do phone calls due to her inability to process words or thoughts.' Pictured: Stock image. Afterwards, Brown was admitted to an in-patient clinic for people with traumatic brain injuries. Her festival appearance was then referred to the DA office and an investigation was launched - allegedly uncovering that Brown's entire leave was actually an extended vacation. Prosecutors said since she left her job, she had ran in two 5K races and went snowboarding in Big Bear and Mammoth. She also allegedly attended three soccer conferences and baseball games. Instead of resting her head, she played golf and went gone to Disneyland. Pictured: Stock image. Brown had even enrolled in online college courses at a local college. Schuman faces two felonies - one count of count of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim and one count of assisting, abetting, conspiring with and soliciting a person in unlawful act. His license to practice law is still active, according to the State Bar of California. But the legal association has added a warning to his profile: 'This attorney has been charged with a felony.' Pictured: Stock image. Brown was charged with nine counts of making a fraudulent statement to obtain compensation, six counts of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim, and one enhancement of committing an aggravated while collar crime over $100,000. She faces up to 22 years in prison if she is convicted of all the felony charges. '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,' Mayor Nguyen said.
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Female cop who said she was disabled is caught out after being spotted at music festival and visiting Disney
A California ex-cop who allegedly partied and took Disney trips while collecting hefty disability checks is being sued for the $600,000 she ripped off from the city. Nicole Brown, 39, was charged with 15 felonies in May after authorities found she was faking a disability for an extensive leave from the Westminster Police Department, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. On top of the charges, Westminster officials announced they are fighting back against Brown on Wednesday. They said they are seeking 'repayment of all disability and medical payments, benefits, and other funds unlawfully obtained by Brown.' 'This former police officer has betrayed the public trust,' Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen said in a statement. 'We owe it to our residents and to the honest, hard-working officers in our police department to seek to recover these funds.' In March 2022, Brown hurt her forehead while handcuffing a suspect. She called off sick for days and claimed she was diagnosed with severe concussion syndrome from the incident. Her diagnosis meant she was suffering from headaches, dizziness, light and noise sensitivity, and cognitive issues. But prosecutors allegedly found the only injury she sustained was a cut - and the emergency room cleared her to return to work the same day. With the help of her step-father Peter Gregory Schuman, a workers' compensation attorney, she fraudulently collected benefits and made baseless insurance benefit claims. Her disability benefits included her full salary, which was tax-free, and all of her medical expenses, according to the DA's office. Brown's story started unfolding when she was spotted drinking and dancing at the Stagecoach Music Festival in April 2023. More than 750,00 attended the rowdy event at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. With music blaring and temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, it was likely one of the last places someone with a concussion would find themselves. The police department heard about Brown's eventful weekend and she was called to an interactive Zoom meeting to assess her abilities. 'During the meeting Brown claimed she was unable to look at the screen,' the DA's office wrote. Schuman, who has been charged with two felonies for allegedly aiding Brown's scheme, was also at the meeting to advocate for his step-daughter. He said 'she was unable to do paperwork, and was uncertain that she could do phone calls due to her inability to process words or thoughts.' Afterwards, Brown was admitted to an in-patient clinic for people with traumatic brain injuries. Her festival appearance was then referred to the DA and an investigation was launched - allegedly uncovering that Brown's entire leave was actually an extended vacation. Prosecutors said since she left her job, she had ran in two 5K races and went snowboarding or skiing in Big Bear and Mammoth. She also allegedly attended three soccer conferences and baseball games. Instead of resting her head, she played golf and went gone to Disneyland. Brown had even enrolled in online college courses at a local college. Schuman faces two felonies - one count of count of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim and one count of assisting, abetting, conspiring with and soliciting a person in unlawful act. Schuman's license to practice law is still active, but a warning has been added to his legal profile (pictured) His license to practice law is still active, according to the State Bar of California. But the legal association has added a warning to his profile: 'This attorney has been charged with a felony.' Brown was charged with nine counts of making a fraudulent statement to obtain compensation, six counts of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim, and one enhancement of committing an aggravated while collar crime over $100,000. She faces up to 22 years in prison if she is convicted of all the felony charges. '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,' Mayor Nguyen said.
New York Post
10-07-2025
- New York Post
Ex-California cop who allegedly partied at music festival, went to Disneyland while collecting $600K for fake injury faces lawsuit
A former California cop who allegedly collected $600,000 on full disability leave while taking luxury vacations to Disneyland and music festivals must pay back the entirety of the funds she ripped off, the city alleges. The city of Westminster announced Wednesday that they are suing Nicole Brown to hold the former officer 'accountable for this [breach] of public trust' and 'recover all of the funds,' KTLA reported. '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. Advertisement 3 Ex-cop Nicole Brown was caught partying at Stagecoach and going to Disneyland while claiming $600k disability. X / @WestminsterPDCA The charges come after Brown, who had been with the Westminster Police Department since 2019, suffered a minor head abrasion during an arrest in 2022 and used the injury to take a several-year-long leave — but was seen partying at the Stagecoach music festival, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. Three days after the festival, Brown appeared on a Zoom meeting about her health in a darkened room and told Westminster police officials she was unable to look at the screen without discomfort. Advertisement The city said that Brown claimed she suffered 'post-concussion syndrome,' which caused her headaches, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and sound. Westminster Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen slammed the former cop for betraying the public's trust and said the city owes it to its citizens and 'honest, hard-working officers' to 'recover these funds.' '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,' Nguyen said. 3 A view of the atmosphere during day 1 of the Stagecoach Music Festival on April 25, 2025, in Indio, California. Getty Images for Stagecoach Advertisement In May, the Orange County District Attorney's Office claimed the alleged malingerer maintained an active lifestyle during her long work hiatus. Prosecutors claim she visited Disneyland, ran two 5K races, went on a skiing or snowboarding trip, attended soccer and baseball games, and pursued an online master's degree while collecting the hefty $600,000 through her full, tax-free salary — in addition to her medical expenses. Brown has been charged with nine counts of making a fraudulent statement to obtain compensation, six counts of making a fraudulent insurance benefit claim, and one felony enhancement of committing an aggravated white collar crime over $100,000. 3 In May, the Orange County District Attorney's Office claimed the alleged malingerer maintained an active lifestyle during her long work hiatus. GC Images Advertisement If convicted, she faces up to 22 years in prison. The 39-year-old also received help in conceiving the alleged scheme from her stepfather, Peter Gregory Schuman — an attorney who practices in workers' compensation. Schuman, 57, 'did all the talking' for Brown in meetings with Westminster PD officials and oversaw his stepdaughter's admission into an inpatient center for individuals with traumatic brain injuries, prosecutors said. Schuman is charged with two felonies linked to the alleged scheme that carry a maximum of eight years in state prison, the release stated. He could also face the loss of his license to practice law if found guilty.
Associated Press
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Today in History: June 17, O.J. Simpson charged with murder following highway chase
Today in history: On June 17, 1994, after leading police on a slow-speed chase on Southern California freeways, O.J. Simpson was arrested and charged with murder in the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. (Simpson was acquitted of the murders in a criminal trial in 1995, but held liable in a civil trial in 1997.) Also on this date: In 1775, the Revolutionary War Battle of Bunker Hill resulted in a costly victory for the British, who suffered heavy losses. In 1885, the Statue of Liberty, disassembled and packed into 214 separate crates, arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French frigate Isère. In 1930, President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which boosted U.S. tariffs to historically high levels, prompting foreign retaliation. In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Abington (Pa.) School District v. Schempp, struck down, 8-1, rules requiring the recitation of the Lord's Prayer or reading of biblical verses in public schools. In 1972, President Richard Nixon's eventual downfall began with the arrest of five burglars inside the Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C.'s, Watergate complex. In 2008, hundreds of same-sex couples got married across California on the first full day that same-sex marriage became legal by order of the state's highest court; an estimated 11,000 same-sex couples would be married under the California law in its first three months. In 2015, nine Black worshippers were killed when a gunman opened fire during a bible study gathering at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. (Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, was captured the following day; he would be convicted on state and federal murder and hate crime charges and sentenced to death.) In 2021, the Supreme Court, in a 7-2 ruling, left intact the entire Affordable Care Act, rejecting a major Republican-led effort to kill the national health care law known informally as 'Obamacare.' In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, creating the first new national holiday since the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Malaysian Reserve
04-06-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Lincoln Avenue Communities Hosts Grand Opening Ceremony for Affordable Housing Developments in Ypsilanti, Michigan
YPSILANTI, Mich., June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Lincoln Avenue Communities (LAC), a mission-driven acquirer and developer of affordable housing, hosted a grand opening ceremony last week for Huron Vista and the Residences at Huron, LAC's first ground-up construction developments in the state of Michigan. LAC was joined at the event by community leaders and local officials including Ypsilanti Mayor Nicole Brown. 'We are excited to celebrate the opening of Huron Vista and Residences at Huron in Ypsilanti, which will provide hundreds of Michigan families and seniors with safe, high-quality, affordable housing,' said Kyle Brasser, LAC Vice President and Regional Project Partner. 'LAC is proud to work with our local partners to address the pressing need for affordable units here in Washtenaw County.' Huron Vista and the Residences at Huron provide 156 units of affordable family housing and 152 units of affordable senior housing, respectively. Units are being leased to those earning between 40-60% of the area-media-income (AMI). Both properties include amenities such as outdoor gathering spaces, pools, and fitness centers. Additionally, Huron Vista features a clubhouse building with a community room and children's play area, while the Residences at Huron adds a pickleball court, club room, and underground parking. The developments were financed through tax-exempt bonds and 4% tax credits from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA); a PILOT from the City of Ypsilanti; an equity investment from KeyBank Community Development Corporation; a construction loan from KeyBank; and a permanent loan from Freddie Mac, serviced by KeyBank. About LAC: Lincoln Avenue Communities (LAC) is one of the nation's fastest-growing developers, investors, and operators of affordable and workforce housing, providing high-quality, sustainable homes for lower- and moderate-income individuals, seniors, and families nationwide. LAC is a mission-driven organization with a presence in 28 states and a portfolio of 170+ properties comprising 30,500+ units housing 80,000+ residents.
