Cops: Fake doc carried out breast exams in bars

OFF THE WIRE
msnbc.com staff and news service reports.
Female reportedly with criminal record as a man is held on $100,000 bond.

A woman posed as a physician and duped at least two other women into undergoing breast exams at her hands in Boise-area nightclubs, according to police.

Kristina Ross, 37, remains in the Ada County Jail on two felony counts of practicing medicine without a license. An Idaho judge set bond at $100,000 on Wednesday.

Police said Ross introduced herself to victims — one at a downtown Boise bar and the other at a nightclub in a Boise suburb — as a plastic surgeon named Berlyn Aussieahshowna, a name that turned out to be bogus.

The two women told Boise officers they believed Ross was a physician because of her apparent medical knowledge, and they agreed to undergo what they thought were breast exams, which happened at the bars.

As part of her ruse, Ross allegedly gave the women the telephone number of a real licensed plastic surgeon in Boise, the state capital, authorities said.

Staff at that medical office became alarmed at the number of calls they received from women in recent weeks attempting to confirm appointments or surgeries with a Berlyn Aussieahshowna, according to charging documents.

Medical workers on Tuesday alerted Boise police about the pattern, and they later arrested Ross.

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.Idaho court records show that Ross was arrested for petty theft in the spring and that the arrest warrant was issued to a Kristoffer Jon Ross.

The Idaho Statesman website reported that Ross has a previous criminal record as a man but identified herself as a woman and was booked into Ada County Jail as a female.

NBC station KTVB obtained documents from the Idaho Department of Correction which listed Ross as transgendered in 2004.

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..Her gender was shown in the documents as "MTF," meaning male to female, in relation to a prison sentence stemming from an aggravated battery charge, KTVB said.

Cosmetic surgical procedures Ross discussed with victims after she touched their breasts under the guise of a medical evaluation included breast augmentation and liposuction.

The court on Wednesday found Ross was eligible for a public defender and set a preliminary hearing on the two felony charges for Dec. 1.

If convicted, Ross could face a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for each count.

Reuters contributed to this report.