WESTMINSTER, Calif. — The city of Westminster, California is suing a former police officer who investigators say stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in workers’ compensation and pretended to be disabled – all while dancing and drinking at a music festival and more.

Nicole Brown faces serious prison time for allegedly stealing fraudulent workers’ compensation payments after telling her department she was unable to work due to an injury she suffered while on duty in March 2022.

She’s accused of collecting more than $600,000 tax-free, including all medical bills.

The Westminster City Council voted unanimously to recover all of the funds from Brown after they say she betrayed the public’s trust. On Wednesday, it filed a lawsuit against her.

“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 a press 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.”

The Orange County District Attorney’s office launched an investigation after Brown was caught dancing and drinking at the Stagecoach country music festival.

Prosecutors say she claimed a head injury prevented her from working – but then did multiple things such as going to Disneyland, going skiing and running 5K races.

Brown’s stepfather, Peter Gregory Schuman — a licensed attorney practicing workers’ compensation defense for insurance carriers — is charged with helping his stepdaughter orchestrate the fraud.

Brown has been charged with 15 felony counts, including making a fraudulent statement to obtain compensation and making fraudulent insurance benefit claims.

Her stepfather is also charged with conspiring and soliciting someone in an unlawful act.

If convicted, Schuman faces up to eight years behind bars. For Brown, if she’s found guilty, she faces up to 22 years in prison.