Ana Montana, the model and longtime partner of NBA star LaMelo Ball, has been arrested in North Carolina on felony and misdemeanor prescription-drug charges. Montana, whose legal name is Analicia Chaves, was taken into custody in Mecklenburg County on Monday, September 28.
TMZ reported from booking records that Chaves faces two felony counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or forgery and two misdemeanor counts of simple possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance. Local outlet WCCB Charlotte separately listed Chaves in its September 28 Mecklenburg County bookings under obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.
The case centers on alprazolam, the generic form of Xanax. According to a warrant described by TMZ, authorities allege the medication was obtained from Walgreens through prescriptions that used a doctor’s DEA registration and medical provider identification information without authorization.
Chaves’ attorney has offered a different emphasis on the allegations, saying a doctor prescribed the medication using fraudulent credentials and that Chaves then filled the prescription at a pharmacy. The charges remain pending, and the arrest and charging documents do not establish guilt.
The Alleged Conduct Dates Back to February
The arrest came months after the conduct described in the warrant. TMZ reports that the alleged activity dates to February 21 and that a warrant was issued on September 22, six days before Chaves was taken into custody.
Complex reported that it also reviewed court records and said the case concerns a Walgreens prescription tied to a doctor’s allegedly stolen or fraudulently obtained DEA registration and National Provider Identifier. The outlet reports that Chaves is due back in court on October 20. Ball, now a guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves, has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Chaves’ criminal case.
Attorney Matthew G. Pruden told TMZ that the defense’s reading of the charges is that a doctor used the allegedly fraudulent credentials to prescribe alprazolam to Chaves, who then took the prescription to the pharmacy. He also said the possession counts appear to stem from her possessing the same medication after it was dispensed.
North Carolina Law Lists Alprazolam as a Schedule IV Drug
The drug classification in the misdemeanor counts is supported by North Carolina law. The North Carolina General Statutes specifically list alprazolam among Schedule IV controlled substances.
A separate state statute makes it unlawful to acquire or obtain a controlled substance through misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge.
North Carolina law provides that violations of that provision can be charged as a Class I felony when intentional conduct is alleged and found, while simple possession of a Schedule IV substance is generally treated as a misdemeanor under the state’s controlled-substance laws.
She and LaMelo Ball Welcomed Their Son Earlier This Year
NBA’s LaMelo Ball and Partner Ana Montana Welcome Baby Son: ‘Changed Our Hearts in the Best Way’ (Exclusive) https://t.co/iNT6WxtkXF
— People (@people) May 10, 2026
The arrest comes months after Chaves and Ball publicly introduced their first child together. PEOPLE reported that the couple welcomed their son, LaOne, in January and waited until Mother’s Day in May to announce his birth publicly.
The couple also used that announcement to introduce I Am Fertility, a platform and nonprofit inspired by Chaves’ own IVF experience. She said the organization was created to provide education, emotional support and practical resources to women navigating fertility treatment, including financial assistance through its HOPE Grant.