SANDOVAL COUNTY, N.M. — Robin Niceta, the former partner of ex-Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson, is being indicted on multiple charges related to allegedly fabricated medical records claiming she had a brain tumor and was not fit to stand trial in Colorado.
Niceta was taken into custody Friday afternoon in Sandoval County, N.M.
Niceta, who is a former Arapahoe County social worker, is accused of filing a false child abuse complaint against Danielle Jurinsky, an Aurora city councilwoman, after the councilwoman criticized Wilson, who was at the time still Aurora's police chief, during a radio interview.
Niceta's mother, Janice Dudley, is also facing charges related to the allegedly false brain tumor scans. The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office filed the grand jury indictment on Friday.
Niceta is facing 10 new charges that include multiple counts of conspiracy to attempt to influence a public servant, forgery and tampering with physical evidence. Dudley is facing four counts of conspiracy to attempt to influence a public servant, tampering with evidence and forgery.
Arrest warrants have been issued for both Niceta and Dudley through the 18th Judicial District.
The indictment released Friday revealed information about the medical records Niceta’s previous defense team submitted to the court.
The records included a 2-page report from a "Dr. C Marquez" from "New Mexico Oncology" stating Niceta had an MRI which revealed she had brain cancer, a letter denying her participation in a clinical trial and four MRI images allegedly showing a brain tumor, the indictment revealed.
Those supposed medical documents were filed in court on March 24, 2023 as part of Niceta’s attempt to show she was incompetent to stand trial and face the alleged false child abuse complaint.
The indictment showed medical records included statements from Niceta’s mother, Janice Dudley, which said Niceta was unable to verbally communicate and ‘incapable of making decisions herself.’
The Denver District Attorney’s Office attempted to verify information provided by the supposed clinic in New Mexico. According to the indictment, a person claimed to be Dr. Marquez stated the MRIs submitted were of Niceta’s brain. But the DA’s office was unable to verify the identity of a "Dr. C. Marquez" or locate any person by that name licensed in New Mexico.
The DA's office asked a doctor at Denver Health to separately evaluate Niceta’s medical records. According to the indictment, that doctor claimed the MRI scans appeared to be images pulled from an internet search and were “photoshopped.”
Additionally, a Facebook page for New Mexico Oncology was created in January of 2023 and had no activity after that date. A website was also allegedly created in January 2023 for the same supposed clinic, according to the indictment.
In May 2023, A sergeant with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office investigated Niceta's medical reports, including claims she was unable to speak since January 2022 and suffered cognitive issues due to glioblastoma.
The indictment noted that same sergeant said he interviewed Niceta in May 2022 and that she "had no difficulty at all communicating" during a lengthy police interview.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office dug deeper into the phone number, website and Facebook page supposedly tied to the New Mexico oncology clinic. According to the indictment, Verizon provided phone records referenced as New Mexico Oncology which showed the phone was tied to a TracFone account.
Verizon supplied records tied to the number showed 91 phone calls in 138 days of which 42 were allegedy tied to Niceta, the indictment read. A subpoena revealed the TracFone account was tied to a credit card number allegedly owned by Janice Dudley in which Niceta was also an authorized user, according to the indictment.
Investigators attempting to verify the physical address of "New Mexico Oncology" found the address was not valid. The indictment also revealed the investigator contacted the owner of the building listed as the location of the clinic and was told "there has never been a business named 'New Mexico Oncology Associates' in the building."
On Niceta's alleged efforts at joining a clinical trial for cancer treatment, the investigator spoke to trial representatives and was told Niceta had not applied and that "they have no record of any dealings with Niceta or Dr. Marquez."
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In a March 30 hearing, Niceta’s defense attorneys argued that she was not fit to stand trial because of a brain tumor. She appeared at the hearing virtually from New Mexico and was allegedly unable to speak.
According to court documents obtained by Denver7 Investigates earlier this year, prosecutors in the case said what was submitted to the court pointed to an oncology clinic and doctor in New Mexico that could not be verified, and that the MRI scans allegedly came back as Google images of glioblastoma.
Prosecutor Dan Cohen said he was unable to verify if the doctor listed on the MRI was in fact a physician practicing in New Mexico, but said he spoke with someone on the phone claiming to be the doctor. He called that conversation “unsatisfactory.”
Niceta’s former defense team filed a motion on May 11, dropping her as a client once information after concerns over the validity of the medical records they submitted on her behalf became public.
She is currently being represented by a new defense attorney, who argued in court in May the false documents were submitted by Niceta’s former defense and not Niceta herself, therefore should be suppressed as evidence.
