Pittsburgh Officer Put on Leave over Fraud Charges

A Pittsburgh police officer, already disciplined for his conduct during an off-duty vehicle crash, has been put on paid leave after county prosecutors charged him with insurance fraud in the same incident.

The Associated Press could not immediately locate a phone number for 40-year-old officer Garrett Brown. Allegheny County detectives charge that Brown lied when he claimed that a U-Haul van rear-ended his personal car and wrongly collected $2,137 in damages, plus $445 for a rental car, after the Nov. 18 incident.

The van’s driver had previously claimed that Brown purposely ran his vehicle into the van. A city investigation sustained charges of conduct unbecoming an officer and other ethics-related violations against Brown.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said the city announced Brown’s paid suspension on Tuesday.