The lawyer of the self-proclaimed neuroscientist, Elizabeth Silverio, assured that his client was going home and that she was not in prison, after being sentenced to seven years in prison, for practicing medicine with false documents.
“Elizabeth is going home, she is not imprisoned, nor are they going to imprison her because we have the right to appeal the decision because we are not satisfied with the court,” said the legal representative of the convicted woman, Waldo Paulino. The judge indicated that the defense will evaluate the sentence and immediately the court notifies him of the ruling and will appeal the decision. Silverio must serve prison in the women’s prison in Nayajo, San Cristóbal province.
The judges of the Third Collegiate Court, Arlin Ventura Jiménez, Leticia Martínez Noboa and Evelyn Rodríguez, declared Elizabeth Silverio guilty of illegally practicing medicine using false documents. As a result, she was sentenced to seven years in prison at the Najayo Women’s Correction and Rehabilitation Center. In addition, she must pay compensation of two million pesos in favor of the nine victims constituted as plaintiffs and civil actors, and was ordered to pay criminal costs and civil costs in favor of the lawyers who represented her interests.
The sentence also included the confiscation of the forged titles, uniforms and rubber stamps used by Silverio in his fraudulent practice, which will be destroyed by the State. The judges declared that Silverio violated article 151 of the Dominican Penal Code, which sanctions the use of false documents, article 405, which punishes fraud, and article 156, paragraph 7 of General Health Law 47-01, which prohibits the practice of health professions without the proper accreditations.
The court highlighted in its motivation that Silverio used a false professional identity to profit, causing serious economic and moral damage to the victims, who are mostly minors, aggravating their vulnerability both due to their health condition and their age. “The direct victims are minors with double vulnerability, which adds seriousness to the crime,” the judge stressed during the reading of the motivations.
Prosecutor María Silvestre highlighted the relevance of this ruling, stating: “It is the first time that we achieved a conviction for a person who, without any accreditation, diagnosed minors with autism spectrum disorder. “This sets a fundamental precedent for future cases of professional intrusion.” He also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in collecting evidence that demonstrated Silverio’s lack of accreditation, describing the case as a serious attack against a vulnerable sector of society.
The court set the full reading of the sentence for November 12, 2024, and ordered to notify the judge executing the sentence so that compliance with the sentence can begin.
