Wife of Man Sought in Boy’s Death at Unlicensed Clinic Pleads Guilty

A woman whose husband operated an unlicensed Santa Ana medical clinic at which a 13-month-old boy died has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and has been fined $1,000, her lawyer said this week.

Eulalia Parra Moreno, 34, will also be required to perform 100 hours of community service for being an accessory after the crime, said her lawyer, Roland G. Rubalcava. “She’s very relieved that she won’t be going to jail,” he said.

The case made headlines earlier this year when 13-month-old Christopher Martinez died after being treated for flu-like symptoms by Gamaliel Moreno, who the youngster’s parents believed was a physician. The would-be doctor fled to Mexico after the incident, abandoning his own three young children and leaving his wife to face charges.

Eulalia Moreno was initially charged with a felony for removing incriminating files from her husband’s office, thereby hampering the investigation. The charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor, prosecutor Elizabeth Henderson said, after the woman agreed to cooperate with authorities in finding her husband.

“She has indicated her willingness to cooperate by letting us know his whereabouts if he returns to the U.S.,” Henderson said. “You have to look at the whole thing: her role, which was relatively minor, the fact that she has no criminal record and that she was left holding the bag.”

After Moreno’s indictment, her three children--ages 1 to 7--were put briefly in foster care, Rubalcava said. Later, they were placed in the care of a relative and are expected to be reunited with their mother soon.

Rubalcava said Moreno was acting instinctively: “All she did was react like a wife does when her husband gets in trouble. She recognizes that she shouldn’t have removed the files. It’s been a tough situation because she’s had to handle this thing by herself.”