American officials say an Ontario woman has pleaded guilty in a scam to sell light-emitting devices by falsely claiming they could treat more than 200 medical conditions, including cancer, autism and HIV.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Irina Kossovskaia, 63, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to introduce misbranded medical devices into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead.
The department says the plea comes nearly a year after another accused, Ronald D. Weir Jr., pleaded guilty in the scheme.
Two others were also charged, though the department did not say what happened in those cases.
Officials say court documents filed in South Dakota allege Kossovskaia and her co-accused marketed and distributed devices known as the ``QLaser System'' by telling people the items could safely and effectively treat a range of medical conditions at home.
They say the documents allege there were no published studies to support such claims and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not approve the devices for that use.