Ex-stripper guilty of fraud as unlicensed psychologist
A former Boston stripper who advertised herself as a psychologist was found guilty yesterday of fraud and larceny after she treated young patients without a license on the South Shore for seven years.
Louise Wightman, 47, of Hull was found guilty of five counts of filing false healthcare claims, 13 counts of larceny over $250, and one count of practicing psychology without a license.
Calling Wightman's behavior egregious, Attorney General Martha Coakley praised the verdict, saying that the former stripper's practice preyed on a vulnerable group.
"This should send a message," said Coakley. "It is a chance for consumers . . . of medical care to make sure that the practitioner they visit has the requisite skills and experience."
Each offense carries a maximum term of five years in prison, except for the last offense, which carries a maximum of three months.
Wightman was found not guilty of five counts of insurance fraud and one count of larceny of over $250.
"The evidence showed that there were victims involved who depended on her purported skills and experience," Coakley said. "It was a double hit for people who were seeking emotional help and did not get it."
Wightman practiced psychology from 1998 to 2005, when she treated hundreds of adolescents for eating disorders and other serious problems.
Wightman's lawyer, Katie Cook Rayburn, said that she and her client were "certainly disappointed" by the verdict, but that she is not sure whether Wightman will appeal.
During the trial, the former stripper known as Princess Cheyenne testified that she never purported to be a licensed psychologist when she treated hundreds of patients, most under the age of 18, at a practice called South Shore Psychology Associates.
Massachusetts state law requires psychologists to have a doctoral degree in psychology from a program recognized by the state and to be licensed with the state Division of Professional Licensure.
Wightman acknowledged, however, that she adver tised as having a doctorate in psychology, despite withdrawing from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology after completing five years of course work without earning a degree.
Wightman, who has a master's degree in counseling psychology from Lesley University, told the jury she dropped out of the doctoral program when a dean, whom she did not identify, confronted her about her storied career as a stripper in Boston's Combat Zone in the 1970s and '80s.
Feeling that she had earned her doctorate, Wightman told the jury, she turned to the Internet and paid about $1,300 for what she thought was a bona fide degree from Dominica-based Concordia College & University. She said she later discovered that the online degree was bogus.
Under cross-examination, Wightman acknowledged that the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology began proceedings in March 2001 to kick her out for operating what a school official described in a letter as an "independent private practice" without a license.
She also conceded that she applied to the state for a license as a mental health counselor in August 2005, six months after "Fox 25 Undercover" aired a report about her past.
Wightman is to be sentenced May 14. 