CLEVELAND — A Cuyahoga County Jail sergeant is on unpaid leave and faces felony workers' compensation fraud and grand theft charges after investigators say he fraudulently received thousands of dollars in benefits he was not entitled to.
William Brewer, 54, pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were filed in Franklin County. He is free on bond.
Brewer has worked at the Cuyahoga County Jail since 1997.
Emails obtained by News 5 Investigators show concerns about Brewer began while he was on leave from the jail, collecting benefits connected to a shoulder injury he sustained during an altercation with an inmate in April 2023.
The following month, a jail warden wrote that staff attended a grand opening of Brewer's BBQ restaurant, where he was seen cooking and serving — described in the email as "performing more strenuous work at this job" than at the jail.
In August 2023, another email from the warden said she continued to receive inquiries about Brewer's return to work, as "they continue to witness him performing physically demanding work" at his other job.
In November 2023, a claims examiner wrote that the state Bureau of Workers' Compensation would be opening an investigation.
By January 2024, Brewer was still injured and on leave. A claims examiner wrote in an email that workers' compensation had paid $18,712.89 in benefits to Brewer to that point.
Records show the sergeant eventually returned to duty at the jail.
It is not clear how much the state believes Brewer fraudulently received. The indictment says the amount was between $7,500 and $150,000, covering only the period between late December 2023 and the end of February 2024.
A spokesperson for the state's Bureau of Workers' Compensation did not respond to a request for more details. Brewer's attorney also did not respond.
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