E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California
A woman from San Luis Obispo County has admitted guilt in a case involving the misuse of medical identities and the creation of fraudulent immigration documents. Chantelle Lavergne Woods, 54, of Nipomo, pleaded guilty to charges related to false immigration documentation and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She is currently out on a $10,000 bond.
Woods managed a clinic in Arroyo Grande called "Medical Weight Loss and Immigration Services." From February 2021, she used the identities of three physicians to produce fraudulent medical examination documents for individuals seeking lawful permanent resident status or other immigration adjustments.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) mandates that applicants submit medical examination records signed by licensed physicians. Woods falsified at least 328 forms by including signatures of doctors who did not conduct the examinations.
Additionally, between February 2021 and June 2022, Woods used the DEA registration number of a deceased doctor to order over 150,000 tablets of controlled substances like testosterone and Xanax. In July 2022, she was found in possession of phendimetrazine with intent to distribute it along with a loaded firearm.
United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin has set a sentencing hearing for July 31. Woods could face up to ten years in federal prison for each count.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Ventura Resident Office Tactical Diversion Squad and USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy K. Beecher is prosecuting the case.
