Mother’s surrender date for medical fraud sentence extended

Debbie Martinez will not be returning to a federal prison in Minnesota today .

The Las Vegas woman received a brief reprieve Thursday, when U.S. District Judge Kent Dawson granted a motion to extend her surrender date.

In the order, Dawson described the motion as "the latest in a series of similar requests for the Court to stay or extend the date of Defendant's surrender, in order that she may continue to care for and/or finalize arrangements for the care of her children."

Dawson ruled that Martinez must surrender to the Federal Correctional Institution in Waseca, Minn., by Oct. 25. In addition, Martinez must file a status report by Oct. 11 "indicating the additional steps she has taken and progress she has made in finalizing arrangements for the care of her children."

Martinez, 43, is the ex-wife of former physician Stephen Seldon. A 2007 indictment accused the pair of defrauding patients by treating them with an unapproved substitute for the more expensive anti-wrinkle drug Botox. Martinez worked in her husband's office.

In November 2008, a jury convicted both defendants of 14 counts of mail fraud and one count of adulterating a drug while held for sale.

Seldon was sentenced to 46 months in prison and lost his medical license. Martinez received a 30-month prison term.

Martinez had served nine months of her sentence when she received word on March 31 that Dawson had agreed to release her and Seldon pending appeal.

The appeal failed, and Seldon already has returned to prison. Martinez was to return to prison today, but she asked for more time.

Martinez has three children from a previous marriage and said they have struggled in her absence. They are now 15, 18 and 19.

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@review
journal.com or 702-384-8710.