María Paz Lattanzi, a 37-year-old woman from Santo Tomé, was formally charged by prosecutor Rosana Peresín before Judge Leandro Lazzarini in Santa Fe provincial courts for practicing psychology without a valid license.
The accusation states that between 2019 and her arrest on Monday, Lattanzi routinely presented herself as a licensed psychologist in Santa Fe, Santo Tomé, and Sauce Viejo, despite having completed only four subjects in the Psychology degree program at the Catholic University of Santa Fe.
Peresín argued that this unauthorized practice endangered the mental health of multiple patients and caused financial harm to three institutions where she worked over several years, including two day centers in Santo Tomé — San Juan and Aires de Vida — and a geriatric facility operated by Jerárquicos Salud in Sauce Viejo.
To appear qualified, Lattanzi showed copies of a forged diploma claiming she graduated in May 2019, which investigators confirmed was false. She used this deception to secure payment for psychological assessments, clinical reports, and therapeutic accompaniments she was not trained to provide.
According to the prosecution, she likewise defrauded a teenager and her mother through private psychotherapy sessions conducted illegally in Santa Fe between May and November of the previous year, charging for services she was not authorized to deliver.
Lattanzi promoted herself on social media as a specialist in geriatrics, aesthetics, and home-based therapeutic support for older adults, using the handle “FARA-BIENESTAR-SALUD” and listing credentials she did not earn on professional networks.
In late 2025, the geriatric facility where she worked contacted the College to verify a QR code she had submitted as proof of registration — a method not recognized by licensed mental health professionals in Santa Fe — prompting officials to investigate further.
Elonce.com reported that the financial damage attributed to her actions exceeds 10 million pesos, with over 6 million linked to services at the geriatric center between 2023 and 2025 and approximately 4 million from one of the day centers.
The outlet also noted that in 2026 alone, she conducted psychological evaluations for at least 40 patients, visiting one facility twice weekly and another up to three times per week for sessions lasting several hours.
One particularly sensitive case involved a teenager who later required treatment at Hospital Cullen after receiving care from Lattanzi, triggering alerts within the local health system.
During raids, authorities seized patient logs, diagnostic reports, and a personal agenda containing detailed records of her activities, which supported the fraud and illegal practice charges.
Eltrecetv added that Lattanzi was arrested Monday afternoon at a senior day center in Santo Tomé after identifying herself as a psychologist when questioned by officers, and that she had presented a QR code as a license to a social work entity — a practice not used by accredited professionals in the region.
The College of Psychologists filed charges for both title usurpation and illegal practice of medicine, citing her false representation and the harm caused to clients.
While the detention originated from the psychology fraud investigation, eltrecetv included an unrelated detail about the discovery of a young man’s body in a refrigerator in Funes, which occurred during a separate police search and is not connected to Lattanzi’s case.
What specific charges is María Paz Lattanzi facing?
She is charged with fraud, use of false documents, usurpation and arrogation of professional titles, and illegal practice of the healing arts, all related to her unauthorized work as a psychologist.
How long did Lattanzi allegedly work without a valid license?
According to the prosecution, she operated as a psychologist from 2019 until her arrest on Monday, with some sources specifying active work from 2022 until detention.
What evidence showed she was not a licensed psychologist?
Investigators confirmed she had only passed four subjects in the Psychology program at the Catholic University of Santa Fe, despite claiming to have graduated in 2019 with a forged diploma and using an invalid QR code for registration.
Why did the geriatric facility contact the College of Psychologists?
At the finish of 2025, the facility requested the College verify a QR code Lattanzi had provided as proof of her professional registration, a method not recognized by licensed psychologists in Santa Fe, which triggered the investigation.
