An Alabama woman has plead guilty to lying about her identity and her medical credentials for the last 15 years, during which she operated naturopathic clinics in four states.
Isabel Kesari Gervais, using the alias Dr. Rose Starr, operated clinics in Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas and Kansas, claiming to be an experienced and licensed medical professional who could treat illnesses as serious as cancer.
Ms. Gervais, 60, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud affecting a financial institution, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of making false statements. She agreed to surrender $108,146 she made as a result of the fraudulent clinics and will be sentenced this November. She faces up to 37 years in prison and a fine of $1.25 million.
"For years this defendant lied about her credentials and took advantage of desperately ill people," said U.S. Attorney Robert Posey. "The U.S. Postal Inspection Service did great work in uncovering this fraud and finding the evidence to make this case."
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