October 2nd 2024.
A 57-year-old woman named Shannon McShane has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. According to reports, she has been indicted by a state grand jury on 15 criminal counts for her alleged actions involving child custody cases. It is said that she lied about having a doctorate in psychology and used fake credentials to testify in court. The charges against her include 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. As of now, McShane is being held at the Denver Downtown Detention Center.
The incident took place in Denver, where McShane, who is a resident of El Paso County, is accused of claiming to have a PhD in psychology from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It is believed that she used this false degree to obtain a license from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies for various positions, including a licensed psychologist, certified addiction counselor, and licensed addiction counselor. This allowed her to work in Colorado courts and state agencies, such as the Department of Corrections and the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo. She even used her licenses to work as a child family investigator and parental responsibilities evaluator in family court cases throughout the state, providing recommendations and findings to judges and magistrates.
According to the indictment, McShane signed court documents with various acronyms, including PhD, and testified under oath that she possessed a doctoral degree. However, her alleged deception did not go unnoticed, as parents involved in domestic relations cases began to complain to the Department of Regulatory Affairs. The attorney general's office also received two complaints from court officials in Mesa County and the 13th Judicial District, which covers seven counties in northeast Colorado. The indictment also listed some of the counties, such as Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, and Denver, where McShane is said to have filed false mandatory disclosures in court cases.
One of the incidents mentioned in the indictment involved a father who became suspicious of McShane's credentials after his first interview with her as a child family investigator in his custody case. He later discovered that she could not have been a PhD student in 2017 in the United Kingdom, as she was also studying for a master's degree in Texas during that year. He even received confirmation from an administrator at the University of Hertfordshire stating that there was no record of McShane as a student. However, the father was afraid of retaliation in his court case, so he filed an anonymous complaint. Unfortunately, McShane allegedly called his employer and accused him of cyberstalking her because she did not rule entirely in his favor during the custody evaluation.
In a statement, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser expressed his disappointment in McShane's actions, saying, "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. 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." He also urged the public to stay informed about the case by signing up for their daily email newsletter.
It is alarming to think that someone would go to such lengths to deceive the public and the justice system. McShane's actions have not only damaged her own reputation but also raised doubts about the credibility of the court system. This case serves as a reminder that honesty and integrity are crucial in any profession, especially when it comes to matters as sensitive as child custody. Let us hope that justice is served, and this incident serves as a lesson for others.
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