El Paso County parental evaluator accused of faking Ph.D. pleads guilty
An El Paso County woman accused of faking her credentials to serve as a parental evaluator and investigator in child custody cases pleaded guilty to two felonies and a misdemeanor Friday, according to the state attorney general’s office.
Shannon McShane, 57, pleaded guilty to one count of retaliation against a victim or witness, one count of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of perjury, according to a news release. Seven counts of attempting to influence a public servant and five counts of forgery were dismissed in the plea deal.
“We take fraud, and efforts to undermine the integrity of our judicial process, seriously,” Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. “The defendant’s actions created real harm, and this plea agreement holds her accountable.”
McShane was indicted by a state grand jury in October for allegedly lying about having a doctorate in psychology from the University of Hertfordshire in England. The university had no record of McShane being a student there, according to the news release.
She used that fake Ph.D. to obtain a psychologist license and certification as an addiction counselor from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and worked on child custody cases, according to the attorney general’s office.
McShane will be sentenced June 23, according to the release.
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