Marilyn Cote’s case accumulates five complaints and moves to criminal phase

The Puebla Prosecutor’s Office announced this Thursday that it had already received five complaints against Marilyn Cote. The state agency has opened an investigation file for the crime of usurping the profession and falsifying documents. “People’s health could be harmed, so the investigation will be comprehensive,” the Public Ministry announced in a statement. The case has already reached the ears of Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said at her morning conference: “This is a case of fraud, but also linked to health issues, which is more serious than an administrative issue. , this is a criminal issue.”

In terms of quota, development has been very rapid. About a week ago, the doctor behind the Medical Charlatans account on X revealed how the lawyer had posed as a psychiatrist for years and prescribed drugs like antipsychotics. A few days later, the Puebla Health Secretariat closed her office, located in the Angelópolis Medical Towers in downtown Puebla, and gave her an ultimatum to produce documents proving that she was a doctor. At first glance, the Health Risk Protection Directorate (DPRIS) found that Cote had “no operating notice, no health license, or no title and ID that would allow him to practice medical consultation.” The deadline set by the authority for the woman from Puebla to provide evidence was reached this Thursday.

Puebla’s prosecutor, Gilberto Higuera, has announced that a search was carried out in which “documents clearly showing falsification of doing business without legal requirements and authorizations were seized.” The official said he would work closely with DPRIS and its national counterpart, COFEPRIS: “A thorough investigation should be conducted because there may be federal crimes, not just ordinary crimes.” The Secretary of Public Education (SEP) is also going to present his complaint. Euripides Flores from the department’s legal affairs unit explained this Thursday that when the case went viral, a review was carried out in the National Registry of Professionals: “After the review, there is no record of any professional license in the areas of “This person’s health is important and we have a responsibility to submit relevant complaints so that responsibilities can be defined.”

As far as is known, Marilyn Karina Cote Mendieta has a law degree, a master’s degree in Criminalistics, and a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology. However, in a recipe book used this year she presented herself as a surgeon, psychiatrist and clinical psychologist, for which she entered three false ID numbers. Cote was prescribed schizophrenia medication and strong antidepressants. In this regard, President Claudia Sheinbaum has said: “A person cannot provide health services, which is a delicate thing, when he does not have a professional license to do so. Yes, it is important that citizens inform themselves, but also inform them of any complaints that may occur, because it can be very serious, and in this case, they were given controlled drugs.

At least five years earlier, Côté had presented himself as an “important neuropsychologist” in Puebla. Elitzel García came to her consultation in September 2019 with anxiety symptoms and from the first session, the doctor prescribed medication: an antipsychotic and two antidepressants. All are taken daily. The drugs caused serious adverse effects on Garcia, who was 26 at the time: tremors, increased anxiety, and an inability to relax. “I never improved. He replaced the antipsychotic with another and since it didn’t improve, he told me ‘If your anxiety doesn’t go away, I’ll send you an injectable antipsychotic.’ It scared me, I refused and stopped going,” the young woman told EL País, who spent six months counseling her. Regina, who had arrived with concerns, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and threatened to commit suicide if she did not take her medication.

Like him, dozens of patients have raised their voice against the fake psychiatrist these days and now the complaint of five of them may face criminal consequences. In Puebla the punishment for occupation is one to six years in prison.