No person, company, or association shall sell or barter or offer to sell or barter any medical degree, podiatric degree, or osteopathic degree, or chiropractic degree, or any other degree which is required for licensure, certification, or registration under this division, or any degree, certificate, transcript, or any other writing, made or purporting to be made pursuant to any laws regulating the licensing and registration or issuing of a certificate to physicians and surgeons, podiatrists, osteopathic physicians, chiropractors, persons lawfully engaged in any other system or mode of treating the sick or afflicted, or to any other person licensed, certified, or registered under this division.
General ProvisionsFrauds of Medical Records
Section § 580
This law says you cannot sell or offer to sell any medical degrees or related certificates, whether they're actual or fake, that are needed for licensing and certification of healthcare professionals like doctors, chiropractors, and podiatrists in California.
medical degree sale podiatric degree osteopathic degree
Section § 581
This law makes it illegal for anyone to buy, trade, or use any fake or unlawfully obtained diploma or certificate as proof of qualifications to practice medicine, osteopathy, podiatry, or any other medical practice covered by California’s Medical Practice Act. It also prohibits altering these documents fraudulently to deceive others about one’s qualifications.
No person, company, or association shall purchase or procure by barter or by any unlawful means or method, or have in possession any diploma, certificate, transcript, or any other writing with intent that it shall be used as evidence of the holder’s qualifications to practice as a physician and surgeon, osteopathic physician, podiatrist, any other system or mode of treating the sick or afflicted, as provided in the Medical Practice Act, Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2000), or to practice as any other licentiate under this division or in any fraud of the law regulating this practice or, shall with fraudulent intent, alter in a material regard, any such diploma, certificate, transcript, or any other writing.
fake diploma certificate fraud medical qualifications
Section § 582
This law makes it illegal for anyone to use fake or altered diplomas, certificates, or transcripts to work as a doctor, podiatrist, osteopathic physician, chiropractor, or any other licensed health care provider. This includes using papers that were bought, fraudulently issued, obtained illegally, counterfeited, or changed significantly in appearance.
No person, company, or association shall use or attempt to use any diploma, certificate, transcript, or any other writing which has been purchased, fraudulently issued, illegally obtained, counterfeited, or materially altered, either as a certificate or as to character or color of certificate, to practice as a physician and surgeon, podiatrist, osteopathic physician, or a chiropractor, or to practice any other system or mode of treating the sick or afflicted, as provided in the Medical Practice Act, Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 2000) or to practice as any other licentiate under this division.
fake diploma fraudulent certificates counterfeit transcripts
Section § 583
This law prohibits anyone from knowingly making false statements on documents when applying for exams, licenses, certificates, or registrations related to certain medical practices. If the false statement is significant, it's a violation.
No person shall in any document or writing required of an applicant for examination, license, certificate, or registration under this division, the Osteopathic Initiative Act, or the Chiropractic Initiative Act, willfully make a false statement in a material regard.
false statements applicant documents material falsehood
Section § 584
This law states that it's illegal for anyone to cheat on exams related to getting a professional license, certificate, or registration to practice various medical-related professions. This includes anything like breaking into the exam or pretending to be someone else during the test.
No person shall violate the security of any examination, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 123, or impersonate, attempt to impersonate, or solicit the impersonation of, another in any examination for a license, certificate, or registration to practice as provided in this division, the Osteopathic Initiative Act, or the Chiropractic Initiative Act, or under any other law providing for the regulation of any other system or method of treating the sick or afflicted in this state.
exam security cheating on exams license exams
Section § 585
This law states that if a person or group breaks the rules in this article, they are committing a serious crime (a felony). If convicted, they could face a fine between $2,000 and $6,000, or be sent to jail, according to specific rules. Moreover, the ways to enforce this law aren't limited to what's mentioned here, meaning other legal actions can also be taken.
Any person, company, or association violating the provisions of this article is guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) nor more than six thousand dollars ($6,000), or by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code. The enforcement remedies provided under this article are not exclusive and shall not preclude the use of any other criminal, civil, or administrative remedy.
felony violation fine imprisonment
