A California woman who previously used fabricated medical documents to delay reporting to prison has received another federal prison term for fraud involving a prospective employer.
Ashleigh Lynn Chavez, 42, of Chula Vista, was sentenced in San Diego federal court on Oct. 8, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Battaglia.
The latest prosecution arose while Chavez was under federal supervision following two earlier convictions. Her criminal history includes financial misconduct involving an employer and an attempt to deceive the court overseeing her original sentence.
The FBI investigated the newest case. The Justice Department’s July 2026 announcement did not identify the company that hired Chavez or the nonprofit organization where she had previously worked.
Forged Attorney Letter Claimed Her Criminal Convictions Had Been Dismissed
In November 2024, Chavez submitted six letters by email as part of an application for employment with a San Diego-area company. According to the Justice Department, one document was falsely attributed to the attorney who represented her in a previous federal criminal case.
The fabricated letter claimed Chavez had been exonerated and that prosecutors had agreed to dismiss all charges against her. It also stated that her court records had been sealed and advised her not to share those records with anyone.
Another letter purported to come from the chief executive officer of a local nonprofit that had fired Chavez several weeks earlier. She had worked in the organization’s human resources department until a background check revealed her convictions.
The forged recommendation praised her volunteer work and endorsed her for a new position, creating the appearance that she had left the nonprofit with its leadership’s support.
Former Attorney and Employer Denied Writing the Letters
Chavez secured the new position and worked for the company from December 2024 through March 2025. In her plea agreement, she acknowledged that the fraudulent documents caused the business to hire her.
Investigators subsequently contacted the people whose names appeared on the paperwork. Both her former attorney and the nonprofit’s chief executive confirmed that they had not written the letters and that the signatures were forged. Chavez pleaded guilty in federal court on July 16, 2026, admitting her involvement in the fraudulent job application.
Defense Attorney Disputes Whether Forged Letters Influenced Hiring
Chavez’s attorney, Benjamin Kington, presented a different account of the documents’ effect on the employer. According to NBC 7 San Diego, Kington argued in sentencing papers that the company never actually read the letters and that they played no role in its decision to offer Chavez the job.
He also maintained that the company’s background check had failed to uncover her criminal record. According to his account, Chavez was eventually dismissed after a coworker discovered a public announcement about her previous convictions.
Kington characterized the conduct as an attempt to obtain ordinary employment after struggling to find work because of her record. He argued that Chavez received a standard salary for the work she performed rather than pursuing an exceptionally large financial gain.
Earlier Fraud Conviction Involved More Than $160,000 in Embezzlement
Chavez’s history in federal court began with a conspiracy case in which she admitted taking more than $160,000 from a former employer. She pleaded guilty in November 2019 and remained free on bond while awaiting punishment. On March 31, 2021, the court sentenced her to 12 months and one day in federal prison.
Fake Cancer Diagnosis Helped Chavez Delay Prison and Restitution Payments
Shortly before her 2021 sentencing hearing, Chavez created a medical note falsely claiming that a biopsy had identified cancerous cells in her uterus. She forged her physician’s signature and gave the document to her attorney, who believed it was genuine and submitted it to the court.
The judge initially allowed her an additional three months outside custody for medical treatment. Chavez then hired another attorney and provided further fabricated letters attributed to two San Diego-area physicians.
According to the Justice Department’s 2022 sentencing announcement, the documents described supposed cancer progression, radiation treatment and chemotherapy. Some claimed her condition had reached Stage II and that imprisonment would endanger her life.
The letters also requested home confinement instead of incarceration. In another effort to avoid financial obligations, Chavez claimed she was too ill to work, prompting a request to suspend her monthly restitution payments.
Federal investigators contacted the physicians and discovered that neither had diagnosed or treated her for cancer. One doctor had previously treated Chavez for another reason, while the second had never met her.
Prosecutors said the deception delayed her imprisonment by a total of six months. During that period, she paid no restitution to the victim of her embezzlement. In July 2022, she received an additional 24 months in prison for obstruction of justice.
Chavez was released from federal custody in November 2023, beginning the period of supervised release during which her latest offense occurred.
Judge Orders Consecutive Prison Terms Totaling 26 Months
At the latest sentencing hearing, Chavez received 14 months in federal prison for the new fraud offense. The court imposed another 12 months for violating the conditions of her supervised release in the previous cases.
The terms were ordered to run consecutively, resulting in a combined sentence of two years and two months, NBC 7 reported.
The prosecution’s July announcement had described a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in custody and a $250,000 fine for the latest federal offense. The punishment ultimately imposed was substantially below that maximum.
How Employers Can Identify Forged References and Court Documents
Employers should independently verify recommendation letters, especially those attributed to attorneys or senior executives. Contact information should come from official business or professional directories rather than the applicant’s paperwork. The federal PACER system can be used to check publicly available federal case records, but sealed information is not accessible through public searches. If a case cannot be located, employers can contact the appropriate court clerk for guidance rather than assuming the charges were dismissed or the records sealed.
Background checks should also follow applicable employment and privacy laws. The Federal Trade Commission advises employers to obtain proper authorization when using third-party background reports and follow required procedures before making adverse hiring decisions. Any discrepancies between an applicant’s account and verified records should be resolved before employment decisions are finalized.