BRENTWOOD — An Atkinson woman was illegally practicing naturopathic medicine, advertising herself as a practicing physician and collecting money for her services.
Shanna Pinet, 46, of Atkinson, faces misdemeanor charges in New Hampshire for practicing naturopathic medicine without a license and violating consumer protection laws for accepting money from customers for unlicensed services. Pleaded guilty to the crime. Naturopathic medicine is a holistic approach that uses natural treatments to help the body heal itself.
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office announced Monday that he will be sentenced May 6 in Rockingham County Superior Court. Pinet entered his guilty plea on March 7.
She was sentenced to 12 months in prison, nine months suspended, and a $2,000 fine, suspended for misdemeanor operating without a license at the Rockingham County House of Corrections. Pinet was also ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.
Pinet was sentenced to 12 months in county jail, all of which was suspended, and ordered to pay $1,200 in victim restitution on consumer protection law charges.
The complaint against Pinet was originally filed regarding her practicing naturopathic medicine without a license between July 1, 2021 and August 6, 2021.
During that time, Pinet was unlicensed, but advertised on his website biophengen.com that he was a naturopathic doctor licensed to practice medicine in the state, according to court documents. The website no longer exists.
Other evidence revealed that Pinet advertised and provided additional medical services for compensation under the name “Dr. Fabianna Marie” ran from August 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021 through her website drfabiannamarie.com. The attorney general’s office said she did this without the education, training, or license required for naturopathic medicine.
The Eagle-Tribune previously covered Pinet’s 10-year battle with breast cancer in 2015 and her debut book published in 2016. “A Wonderful Fight: Living with Cancer Through Love, Laughter, and Honesty” chronicles her battle with cancer.
Pinet, who is also a former beauty queen, wrote the book under the name Fabianna Marie.
In September 2021, the Chairman of the Charitable Trust sought an injunction to stop his corporation, the Fab Family Fund, from making charitable donations.
The Fab Family Fund promoted itself as an established nonprofit organization. Since February 2020, the organization has held fundraisers and solicited donations on its Facebook page and website to send people affected by breast cancer and their families on all-expenses-paid trips to cure.
Ms. Pinet served as CEO of the organization that her husband was also a part of.
The state argued that the Fab Family Foundation was supposed to be a charity but was not registered as a nonprofit organization with the Internal Revenue Service.
Pinet, her husband, and the foundation’s president, Michelle Tolson, are accused of violating four charitable trust laws in New Hampshire, including deceptive fundraising.
At the time, a Rockingham County Superior Court judge found that the Fab Family Fund violated the Charitable Trusts Act and ordered it to be dissolved.
