DENVER, COLARADO: Robin Niceta, a former social worker in Colorado who falsely accused a councilwoman of child abuse after the lawmaker criticized her lover, has been convicted of a felony and a misdemeanor.
She also faked a brain tumor by using stock images from Google to delay her trial, prosecutors say.
The felony counts she is convicted of include attempt to influence a public servant and a misdemeanor count of filing a false child abuse, Fox Denver reports.
Public information officer said Robin Niceta’s actions were 'reprehensible'
“Ms Niceta’s actions were reprehensible and that any bad actor who attempts to weaponize the social services system should face appropriate consequences,” said Arapahoe County’s public information officer.
Robin Niceta, who worked with Arapahoe Child Protective Services, reported Councilwoman Danielle Jurinksy to police after she publicly shamed her girlfriend.
Her girlfriend, at the time, was an ex-Aurora police chief Vanessa Wilson. Niceta had been dating Wilson at the time when she falsely accused the councilwoman.
The report was filed a day after Jurinsky called Wilson “trash” during a radio show, with police tracing the anonymous tip-off to the social worker.
How did Robin Niceta file a false report?
The 41-year-old pretended to be an employee of Jurinsky’s and falsely accused the councilwoman of sexually abusing her son.
She told police she heard Jurinsky ask her son, “Do you want to see something funny?” before performing sexual acts with the child.
Police were later able to close the case on February 14 after deeming Jurinsky was innocent.
Niceta was identified as the culprit behind the tip after searches of her county-provided laptop showed a thorough history of searches for “does the child abuse hotline keep phone numbers in Colorado.”
Niceta conducted the search minutes before reporting Jurinsky, according to a Daily Mail report.
How did Robin Niceta fake brain tumor?
The hearing of the case which began in March had to be halted after a day-and-a-half after Niceta revealed she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor which attorneys argued made her incompetent to stand trial.
However, she was then accused of falsifying medical records after the MRI images she provided were found to be stock images.
These images are easily traceable with a basic Google search of the word “glioblastoma”, prosecutors said, as per reports.
Niceta’s defense team dropped her as a client on May 11 after learning the medical records they had submitted were likely to be fake.
The scheming social worker now faces additional charges over the alleged medical fraud.
Robin Niceta is also facing a lawsuit where she is accused of making sexual advances toward at least 40 mothers
She is also embroiled in a civil legal battle over the false report, brought by Jurinsky in 2022, on behalf of around 40 mothers who claim Niceta made “sexual advances” towards them and threatened to remove their children when they rejected her.
The $1 million class action also claims she attempted to “silence” her alleged victims and threatened those she had a “vendetta” against.
Wilson was also subsequently fired following the incident, with defense lawyers for Niceta arguing it was her who made the false report before the trial was suspended.
