Month: May 2025

Andrew Gillies

LOS ANGELES – Chantelle Lavergne Woods pleaded guilty Monday to misusing the identities of medical professionals to create hundreds of fraudulent immigration documents required to obtain lawful status for applicants as well as using a deceased doctor’s credentials to obtain multiple controlled substances.

Woods pleaded guilty to one count of presentation of false immigration document or application and one count of possession with intent to distribute phendimetrazine stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California in a press release.

The 54-year-old Nipomo woman was initially charged in a federal complaint filed in February of this year and is currently free on a $10,000 bond added the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to Monday’s plea agreement, Woods formerly operated a clinic in Arroyo Grande that was known at certain times as “Medical Weight Loss and Immigration Services and knowingly misused the identities of three different physicians to create hundreds of fraudulent documents related to medical examinations required for people seeking to register as lawful permanent residents -also known green card holders- or to adjust their immigration status beginning in February of 2021.

Federal law requires that a licensed physician perform the required medical examinations and a sign a form attesting that they had conducted the evaluation.

Woods completed at least 328 such forms and falsely included the signatures of medical doctors shared the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Additionally, between February of 2021 and June of 2022, Woods used the Drug Enforcement Administration registration number of a deceased physician to order more than 150,000 tablets of various controlled substances including testosterone, codeine, alprazolam (commonly sold under the name Xanax), as well as diethylpropion and phentermine which are both appetite depressants usually prescribed for weight loss detailed the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Woods knowingly possessed and intended to distribute the weight-loss drug phendimetrazine and had a loaded firearm at the clinic in July of 2022.

Woods is currently scheduled for a sentencing hearing on July 31 where she faces a statutory maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison for each count shared the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy K. Beecher of the Transnational Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case that was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Ventura Resident Office Tactical Diversion Squad and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Fraud Detection and National Security Office.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The City of Santa Maria will consider approving an agreement with Caltrans to help fund the Highway 101/Betteravia Road Interchange Project Study Report.

According to Santa Maria City Council agenda for the Tuesday, May 6th meeting, councilmembers will vote to authorize the Director of Finance to appropriate $175,000 from the Growth Mitigation Traffic Account to fund the necessary oversight of the project.

In the agenda, the city reports the purpose of the project is to improve operations at the busy interchange by making improvements to the northbound ramps in the southeast quadrant of the interchange.

The study report will be the first phase of development for the interchange project.

Santa Maria staff has recommended to the City Council that it approve the Cooperative Agreement.

It also reported should the City Council choose to defer the approval and suspend the work on the interchange, but the delay could potentially result in the loss of $2 million of Measure A fundsthat have been earmarked for the project and may create potential issues with further development on the eastside of Highway 101.

Santa Maria City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, May 6 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Santa Maria City Hall.

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Mina Wahab

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—Music is booming but business is just trickling in on what has historically been a festive celebration. Andrew Mendoza, Lives on Chumash Reservation“it’s eerily like, it’s dead. Like it was weird to see this emptiness on a day like this, but I’m here.” The yearly celebration commemorates the military victory of the Mexican army, who against all odds, defeated invading French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. “You’re celebrating the fact that people won, that this is a holiday of like, triumph. They fought for something, and then they got it,” said Jovan Turner, who lives in Oxnard.

Though the historical context is lost on many who celebrate over drinks and Mexican food, locals say it traditionally has brought the community together.   But some locals say the holiday has been co-opted by people who don’t appreciate the contributions of the local Mexican community. “They want to embrace the cultural, the cultural background, but they don’t want to embrace the people,” said local musician David Velazquez. “While people turn their heads towards the current political climate, others are pointing to declining tourism and bad timing, saying the slowdown in business is because the holiday has fallen on a Monday this year. “You know, it’s been relatively slow so far, but we’re hoping that people are out, especially for dinner. You know, we have good, authentic food here, so it doesn’t really get much better than this, if you ask me,” said Casa Comal Worker Elijah Pisula.

A handful of businesses are hoping to entice “Cinco de Drinko” fans with special offerings.  “We marinated some watermelon in mezcal and tequila, and we’re making a prickly pear or watermelon mezcal margarita,” said “The Cruisery” Owner Aron Ashland.

“There’s our chammy and tajin with mango sorbet We also add, of course, more to mind to here and for everyone involved,” said Cusos Creamery Owner Dylan Mancuso. “I’m going to get mezcal and take a shot of tequila in honor for the people who. Yeah, just liberated themselves and became their own,” said Jovan Turner. 

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