SLO County woman admits to falsifying hundreds of immigration forms
The Nipomo woman was convicted Monday of misusing doctor credentials to create hundreds of false medical records for immigrants seeking legal permanent residencies, also known as green cards, and and to purchase and distribute prescribed drugs.
Chantelle Lavergne Woods, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of presentation of false immigration document or application and one count of possession with intent to distribute phendimetrazine, an appetite suppressant.
Woods ran Medical Weight Loss and Immigration Services in Arroyo Grande from at least February 2021 through July 2022, court records show. At times, there were no physicians present at the clinic, and Woods acted without authorization from a doctor, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. The clinic also did not provide legitimate medical services.
Woods 'knowingly misused' the names and identities of at least three medical doctors — one of whom was deceased — during that time to charge patients to fill out medical immigration forms that contained false information, to acquire controlled substances and to distribute controlled substances, her plea agreement said.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requires individuals seeking to adjust their immigration status or benefits to complete a medical form, known as Form I-693, to ensure the person is admissible to the country on health-related grounds. The form must be completed by the physician who completes the exam, under penalty of perjury.
Woods admitted to fraudulently completing the form for 328 different people — charging each $450 — court documents show. She signed the forms using the identities of three different physicians attesting the individual had been seen by a doctor, which they had not.
Woods also used the identity of the doctor who had been deceased to order more than 150,000 of units of controlled substances to her clinic, court documents said.
This included about 27,374 units of Schedule III drugs like the appetite suppressant phendimetrazine, testosterone, and pain relievers acetaminophen and codeine, court records said. She also ordered 128,800 units of Schedule IV drugs, including the appetite suppressant diethylpropion, the weight-loss drug phentermine, Xanax, an insomnia medication known as zolpidem and the muscle relaxer carisoprodol.
A loaded firearm and phendimetrazine were both found in her clinic in July 2022, court records show.
The statutory maximum sentence for each of Woods charges carry 10 years in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Her sentencing was scheduled for July 31.
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