BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A federal judge has sentenced a woman described as a fake doctor who worked in Arkansas and three other states to more than six years in prison.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala imposed the sentence Tuesday on 61-year-old Isabel Kesari Gervais.
Authorities say Gervais described herself as a naturopathic doctor but wasn't licensed. A statement from prosecutors says she claimed to use naturopathic medicine to cure illnesses including cancer.
[IN-DEPTH: Con artist preyed on vulnerable victims in Northwest Arkansas]
Gervais pleaded guilty last year to defrauding patients at a clinic in suburban Birmingham, Ala.
In her plea agreement she acknowledged operating multiple offices over 15 years in Springdale; Montgomery, Ala.; metro Atlanta; and Leawood, Kan.
Investigators determined Gervais moved frequently and used aliases including Rose Starr and Debra Lynn Goodman to avoid detection. She had been in Hoover, Ala., since 2015.
