A Yale police officer has been arrested on fraud charges, Chief State’s Attorney John M. Bailey announced yesterday.

Richard Nicholson, 58, was charged with fraudulent receipt of workers’ compensation benefits, a felony carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, Nicholson suffered a work-related injury in 1996 for which he collected more than $20,000 in workers’ compensation benefits. The affidavit alleges that Nicholson wrongfully failed to disclose that he was working and being paid as a traffic control officer for the town of Montville during the time that he received the benefits.

Nicholson was released on a written promise to appear in court and is scheduled to be arraigned in New Haven superior court on April 5, according to a statement released by Bailey’s office. The case will be prosecuted by members of the Worker’s Compensation Fraud Unit in the office of the chief state’s attorney.

–Yale Daily News