A San Luis Obispo County woman pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to misusing physicians’ medical identities to create hundreds of fraudulent immigration documents.
According to authorities, these documents were used to help immigrants obtain lawful status in the United States.
She was also accused of using a deceased doctor’s credentials to acquire and distribute controlled substances.
Chantelle Lavergne Woods, 54, of Nipomo, pleaded guilty to one count of presentation of false immigration document and one count of possession with intent to distribute the drug phendimetrazine.
According to her plea agreement, Woods formerly operated and managed a clinic in Arroyo Grande that, at times, was known as “Medical Weight Loss and Immigration Services.”
Woods further admitted that she used the DEA registration number of a deceased physician to order more than 150,000 tablets of controlled substances, including testosterone, codeine, alprazolam (sold under the brand name Xanax), diethylpropion (an appetite suppressant), and phentermine (weight-loss medicine).
Federal authorities say Woods acted without physician authorization or a doctor present, and the clinic did not provide legitimate medical services.
Woods also admitted misusing the identities of three physicians to create hundreds of fraudulent medical examination documents of individuals seeking to register for a green card or otherwise adjust their immigration status.
United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin scheduled a July 31 sentencing hearing. Woods will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count.
