SLO County woman accused of immigration fraud. DOJ says she falsified medical records
A San Luis Obispo County woman was arrested on a federal charge alleging she misused physician’s credentials to create fraudulent immigration documents.
According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Central District, Chantelle Lavergne Woods, a 54-year-old Nipomo resident, was arrested Wednesday and charged with fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
According to a Feb. 18 affidavit, from February 2021 to April 2024 Woods created hundreds of fraudulent documents related to medical examination and vaccination requirements for people looking to register for green cards or adjust their immigration status.
Medical examination and vaccination records that assess several physical and mental health factors to determine an applicant’s legal status are required by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. These examinations are performed by licensed physicians known as “civil surgeons,” according to the release.
Woods allegedly used a website billing itself as a “Medical Weight Loss and Immigration Services” clinic that advertised helping applicants with immigration physicals, according to the release.
A doctor who was in truth a pediatrician, not a neurologist, was incorrectly listed on that website as “M.D. Board Certified Neurologist and Designated Civil Surgeon for USCIS,” according to the release.
Woods allegedly forged several doctors’ signatures, including one who died before the fraudulent immigration forms were prepared, according to the release.
“The fraudulent conduct described in the criminal complaint undermined the integrity of our nation’s immigration system,” acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally said in the release. “We commend our law enforcement partners for putting a stop to it.”
After appearing in court Thursday, Woods was released on a $10,000 bond, and will be arraigned March 25, according to the release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Ventura Resident Office Tactical Diversion Squad and USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security are investigating the alleged fraud, with assistant U.S. attorneys Elia Herrera of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section and Mark Aveis of the Major Frauds Section prosecuting the case, according to the release.
