A woman arrested in Las Vegas for running a fraudulent pediatric diabetes clinic previously ran her scams in Arizona.
The story of this woman, Crystal Scott (44), reads like a Netflix documentary — and part of her saga took place in the Valley.
Scott faces 50 felony charges for posing as a registered nurse and providing fraudulent medical care to diabetic children. Scott wrote bogus prescriptions, held medical consultations, and furnished insulin and other drugs to at least 12 children aged five to 14 through her business “Glucose N Glow,” which offered diabetes concierge, as well as neurotoxin, weight loss and IV therapy services.
Scott made bail at $50,000 last week, and was expected to return on Tuesday. Her attorney, Jack Buchanan, claimed to KLAS 8 News Now that Scott has a “virtual complete lack of criminal history” and that Scott “[meant] no harm.”
Based on investigations from The Arizona Daily Independent, that may not be entirely true.
Sources in the Valley told The Arizona Daily Independent that she alleged to have cancer — twice — in addition to posing as a registered dietitian and nutritionist in Arizona.
Scott’s Dietitian Days
In the years leading up to her arrest, Scott claimed to be a “certified registered dietitian-nutritionist” with Top Nutrition Coaching.
The Commission on Dietetic Registration, which validates all registered dietitians through national examination, has no record of Scott in any of the following states in which she claimed to be a registered dietitian: Arizona, Colorado, or Nevada. CDR confirmed it had no record of any “Crystal Scott” on their registry.
Scott was listed as a registered dietitian at the private/non-affiliated group practice, Forty-Third Medical Associates (also known as Forty-third Medical Association, 43rd Medical Associates) in Phoenix.
In 2021, Scott filed a request for public testimony with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System’s Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee as a representative of Dr. James Beach.
Scott requested to testify concerning the continuous glucose monitoring system Dexcom G6, used for diabetics.
“Continuous glucose monitor therapy Benefits of CGM therapy. The need to increase the use of CGM for Type 1 and Type 2 on insulin therapy and to remove the Prior authorization restrictions,” said Scott’s testimony request. “The need to increase the use of CGM therapy for Type 2 diabetic patients not on insulin therapy as well as use in pre-diabetic patients.”
According to her Top Nutrition Coaching bio, Scott claimed to have a Master of Science degree in Dietetics, Nutrition, and Exercise Physiology from Washington State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology from Eastern Washington University.
The Arizona Daily Independent did not receive a response from Washington State University regarding Scott’s alleged master’s degree. Eastern Washington University advised student records, including proof of degree, were protected under FERPA.
Scott also claimed to have the following certifications: Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES), Certified Specialist in Pediatric Nutrition (CSP), Certified Insulin Pump trainer with Omnipod, Minimed, Tandem, Personal Training Certification from ACSM, Level 1 and 2 Certification for USA Weightlifting, and Smartflow Yoga 200Hr Certification.
Scott also claimed to have over 14 years of medical nutrition counseling experience, 14 years of weight management, 10 years of bariatric surgery, 14 years of athletic performance and sports, 14 years of diabetes, 12 years of gut health, 14 years of lactation and infant nutrition, 14 years of pediatrics, and 14 years of prenatal/postpartum.
“My experience is diverse across a wide variety of settings with my specialty being diabetes, weight management, sports nutrition, women’s health to include lactation and pre/post natal, GI health/disorders, and overall health and wellness,” said Scott.
The timeline of those combined decades of experience doesn’t align with Scott’s history based on social media activity dating back to 2010 and interactions with the media in the past.
Scott’s Cancer
Scott received donations and community support for two bouts of cancer she allegedly had in 2016 while living in Arizona and 2018 while living in Colorado.
Scott claimed to have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016, per sources as well as GoFundMe and Facebook posts from herself, friends, and family members.
In February 2016, Scott posted on Facebook that the surgery to remove her mass was successful.
“They got all of the cancer!” said Scott. “Two weeks and I start chemo but this is a time to celebrate!”
Throughout that spring, Scott posted regularly about allegedly going through chemotherapy.
All the while she was alleged to be battling cancer, Scott was training and competing at a Crossfit gym. Sources told The Arizona Daily Independent that she was hitting personal records in weightlifting and Crossfit workouts while she was supposedly going through chemo.
Scott also offered dietitian and nutrition services to individuals across the Valley, including at Dead Red Crossfit (now Dead Red Conditioning) in Peoria.
At some point, Scott announced to her friends she beat cancer — and that she was moving out of the Valley.
Around 2017, Scott moved to Colorado where she rinsed and repeated her story.
She again offered dietitian and nutrition services to the community, namely to members of another gym: the CrossFit SoCo in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she was also a member.
Then, it seems, her cancer returned with a vengeance — and she needed funding.
In July 2018, Scott raised over $7,400 through GoFundMe for a cancer fundraiser in Colorado. Scott claimed she was diagnosed again with cancer, but that it had spread. She also claimed she had doctors that were recommending she get treatments at facilities in Reno and Boston.
In August 2018, Scott hosted a “shaving party” to bid farewell to her hair, still in Colorado. The barber shop that shaved her hair, Lincoln Street Barbers, didn’t charge her for the service and shut down their shop for the day. At that party, individuals raised over $1,500 for Scott, and CrossFit SoCo matched that amount, according to a Facebook post. Multiple individuals had their heads shaved in solidarity with Scott.
Scott’s Media Expertise
Scott was featured in numerous articles from 2023 onward, cited as a “certified registered dietitian-nutritionist” with Top Nutrition Coaching.
One of those places was Cronkite News. Scott was a featured dietitian and nutrition expert who weighed in on healthy ways to cut weight for fighters in 2023.
Here are the following other places who published her dietary and nutrition advice:
Healio on what doctors should tell patients about aspartame (2023); DiaTribe on healthy snacks for diabetes management, losing weight as a diabetic, and alcohol consumption as a diabetic (2023, 2023, 2023); LiveStrong on better protein habits (2023); Medical News Today on safe eating window times for diabetics, and probiotics for gout flare-ups (2023, 2024); Eating Well on low-carb vegetables (2023); Well + Good on metabolism myths (2023); Vitamin Shoppe on safe ways to supplement with calcium (2023); The Skimm on vitamin patches (2023); Eat This Not That on brown eggs versus white eggs, and canola oil safety (2023, 2023); Reader’s Digest on macular degeneration vitamins and minerals (2023); Healthline on Ozempic and GLP-1 Drugs reducing risks of heart attacks (2023); Health on greens powders (2023); Parade on healthy rice alternatives (2023); PopSugar on the health benefits of chia seeds (2024); Prime8 on healthy water consumption amounts (2024); The Healthy on health benefits of cottage cheese (2024); and Yahoo on carbs and weight loss, and realistic weight loss timelines (2024, 2024).
Several articles were published this year: Yahoo and Fortune on healthy water consumption amounts (May, May); EveryDay Health on fast food consumption (August); and Women’s Health on Noom, the weight loss app (September).
Scott’s Breastfeeding Scandal
Scott told members of the media that she served in the Army from 2000 to 2006, which included a tour to Iraq. Scott reposted a picture to her X profile (@CrystalNScott) that appears to corroborate that claim.
Happy #VeteransDay! Thx to those who have, or are serving to protect our country, especially our #barbellbabes! pic.twitter.com/uoydzvocCA
— Barbell Babes (@Barbell_Babes) November 12, 2014
Leading up to the breastfeeding photoshoot scandal that shocked the military community, Scott claimed to be an X-ray technician and ran PaleoRX and operated a food blog called “The Prehistoric Palate.” She was also coaching: she claimed to have a Level 1 Crossfit certification and Level 1 USA Weightlifting certification.
Per our investigation into her social media and online activities, Scott has posed as a nutritionist as far back as at least 2013, offering services to members of Crossfit Spokane — a gym founded by her sister — and the surrounding Washington community.
If you need help with nutrition which includes meal planning, nutrition counseling, and/or pre-made meals…you… http://t.co/9OLNFWVM9B
— Crystal Scott (@CrystalNScott) July 6, 2013
In January 2012, Scott founded and served as “program director” of the Mom2Mom breastfeeding campaign at Fairchild Air Force Base. Several months later, Scott arranged the controversial photoshoot of women breastfeeding in uniform.
Scott was the program director of the Mom2Mom breastfeeding awareness group. At the time, Scott was a military spouse.
Scott was fired from Schryver Medical in 2012 following the photoshoot. She hired an attorney following her firing, who claimed Scott was fired for organizing the photoshoot.
The president of Schryver Medical, Jay Schryver, denied Scott’s claims. Rather, Schryver said Scott was fired for misinforming the company about her whereabouts during employment hours, and “ignor[ing] a series of time-sensitive tasks” assigned to her.
“Crystal Scott was terminated by the company on June 1st for various legitimate employment-related reasons,” said Schryver in a statement. “Thereafter, Ms. Scott ignored the company’s repeated attempts to contact her to inquire as to her whereabouts and status of her job assignments. When the company finally did get a hold of Ms. Scott, she informed them that she was sick and would not be working. Based on company records — including GPS data from a company van that had been assigned to her — Ms. Scott was actually at a local media outlet conducting personal business, on company time, using company equipment as transportation.”
In September 2012, Scott appeared on the Ricki Lake Show for “Wednesday: Mommy Confidential” where “mothers reveal their secrets about the not-so-perfect side of motherhood.” Scott discussed the realities of breastfeeding. It appeared that, for some months leading up to and after that time, Scott attempted to become an “mom-fluencer” specializing in breastfeeding awareness and advocacy.
Other Allegations
Sources tell the Arizona Daily Independent that Scott also provided a number of other aesthetics-related health services, including Botox injections, in Arizona. We are unable to verify these claims, as proof of those services were erased with the deletion of the corresponding Instagram profiles the sources recall as having existed — profiles similar to her latest, “Glucose N Glow.”
Scott’s more recent claims of authority included being on the board of the Nevada Diabetes Association.
Conditions of Scott’s release on bail include not practicing any medical procedures and having no contact with minors other than her own six children.
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