Parental evaluator who handled child custody cases charged with 15 counts

DENVER — Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Tuesday that a grand jury has returned a 15-count indictment against a woman for allegedly using false credentials to obtain a state license as a psychologist.

Shannon McShane, 57, used her fake credentials to gain employment with state agencies and serve as a child and family investigator and parental evaluator in child custody cases throughout Colorado, the AG’s office said. 

McShane is charged with:

• Eight counts of attempt to influence a public servant
• Five counts of forgery
• One count of perjury
• One count of retaliation against a victim or witness

According to the indictment filed on Aug. 29, over the course of six years starting in 2017, McShane represented herself to state agencies and judicial officers as having a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. This allowed her to get licensure with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies as a licensed psychologist, and certified and licensed addiction counselor.

Officials from the university were unable to find any records showing McShane was a student or earned a degree from the university, according to the indictment.

“Defrauding the state of Colorado and engaging in unlicensed practice as a psychologist in a manner that impacts our justice system is a grave breach of public trust,” Weiser said in a news release. “In this case, we are seeking to hold Shannon McShane accountable for her alleged conduct and to send a message that this behavior is intolerable.”

With her licensure, McShane was able to be hired for several positions with the State of Colorado. The Office of the State Court Administrator relied on McShane’s affidavits and other documents to determine she was qualified to be on a statewide rosters for child and family investigators and parental evaluators, prosecutors said. 

With this, McShane conducted investigations and provided legal officials with reports. These reports had findings and recommendations on parenting time and decision-making for children, prosecutors said.  

McShane also was employed with the Colorado Department of Corrections and the Colorado Department of Human Services to work at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo. In her employment applications, she included that she earned a Ph.D., prosecutors said. 

Her next court appearance is set for Wednesday.