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SALT LAKE CITY, September 1, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Utah abortionist has admitted that she lied to state officials about a criminal conviction and incarceration for credit card fraud in order to be able to perform abortions in that state, reports Operation Rescue.

Abortionist Nicola Riley is best known for her involvement, along with the notorious Steven Chase Brigham, in a botched late-term abortion at a secret abortion clinic in Elkton, Maryland, last year. Riley’s Maryland license has been suspended.

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As part of a recent settlement agreement with the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL), Riley reportedly admitted her deception and must now pay a fine of $10,000 to be paid over 18 months. The group says she also has three months to write and submit an essay to DOPL describing how her unprofessional conduct has affected her patients and her profession.

“While we are happy that the DOPL acted to discipline Riley for lying, we are disappointed in the relatively light punishment considering the seriousness of the offense,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “This sounds more like a school detention assignment than discipline for lying to obtain a medical license. Other states have taken her deception much more seriously.”

Operation Rescue had conducted research on Riley and discovered she had a criminal conviction during her service in the U.S. Army. The group says they received a copy of her criminal record through an open records request and discovered that she had grossly misrepresented her involvement in a credit card/identity theft ring on her medical license applications in the states of Maryland, Wyoming, and Utah.

On those applications she stated that she served one year at Ft. Leavenworth Military Prison for not quickly reporting the credit card fraud that was being perpetrated by her subordinates. In truth, says Operation Rescue, Riley herself fraudulently obtained credit cards, which she used for large purchases, by using personal information stolen during her military duties.

Riley served 30 months in prison for her crimes.

Operation Rescue forwarded the documents to medical oversight boards in all three states where Riley held licenses. Maryland has filed formal charges against Riley for lying on her medical license application. Wyoming forced Riley to surrender her license there or face revocation hearings. Utah has barred Riley from doing abortions but so far has allowed her to keep her license pending the outcome of the Maryland disciplinary action.

“Riley’s entire medical career is based on a lie. Riley broke a sacred trust that makes her completely unfit for the practice of medicine. A doctor that cannot be trusted to tell the truth cannot be trusted at all,” said Newman.