Woman pleads guilty after forging doctor’s notes to avoid prison time

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - On April 1, a woman pleaded guilty after admitting she lied about being diagnosed with cancer to get out of prison time.

Ashleigh Lynn Chavez admitted she forged doctor's notes that were submitted through her attorneys during her court dates where she also pleaded guilty to embezzling money from her former employer.

Chavez, 37, has publicly available court documents stating she was likely facing a prison term and then she submitted a fake note with a forged doctor's signature.

Her attorney believed the notes were genuine and used them to lighten Chavez's time in prison.

The forged notes continued to be submitted by a different attorney and progressed to the point where the notes said she had Stage II cancer.

One note said: "(a) year in prison could be a death sentence for my patient - I highly recommend the chance to allow home confinement or anything else that you deem appropriate rather than a year in prison.”

Government representatives reached out to the doctors described in the notes and they denied writing anything for Chavez.

“This defendant, already convicted of one fraud, worked for months to commit additional frauds on the
federal court,” stated U.S. Attorney Grossman. “While her dishonesty delayed payment of her debt to society,
it will cost her still more time in prison.”