(The Center Square) – A Colorado grand jury returned a 15-count indictment against Shannon McShane, 57, for alleged use of false credentials to get a state license as a psychologist.
McShane used the license to get jobs with state agencies and to serve as a child and family investigator and parental evaluator in child custody cases throughout the state.
“Defrauding the state of Colorado and engaging in unlicensed practice as a psychologist in a manner that impacts our justice system is a grave breach of public trust,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in statement. “In this case, we are seeking to hold Shannon McShane accountable for her alleged conduct and to send a message that this behavior is intolerable.”
Over six years, McShane allegedly represented herself to state agencies and judicial officers as someone with a Psychology PhD from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom.
It also let McShane obtain a psychologist licensure from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. She also used it to become a certified addiction counselor and licensed addiction counselor.
Using her licensure, McShane served in several positions with the State of Colorado. The Office of the State Court Administrator, for example, used her affidavits and other documentation and decided she had the proper qualifications to be on the statewide rosters for child and family investigators and parental evaluators.
The move let McShane conduct investigations and give reports to judges and magistrates with findings and recommendations regarding parenting time and decision-making for children.
Under oath, McShane testified that she had a PhD.
Additionally, the Colorado Department of Corrections and the Colorado Department of Human Services employed her; she even worked at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo. On those employment applications, she claimed that she had a PhD.
The University of Hertfordshire failed to find any evidence that McShane had a degree or was ever even a student at the school, the indictment said.
McShane faces eight counts of attempting to influence a public servant, five counts of forgery, one count of perjury, and one count of retaliation against a victim or witness.
The Denver Downtown Detention Center has her in custody.