State Police arrest a Penn Yan woman for Unauthorized Practice of Profession

On November 14, 2018, New York State Police, SP Canandaigua BCI, arrested 52 year-old Elizabeth J. Catlin, of Penn Yan, NY, for the NYS Department of Education felony of Unauthorized Practice of Profession.   A joint investigation with the New York State Education Department’s Office of Professional Discipline was conducted and discovered Catlin had allegedly been posing as a Midwife for many years and primarily exploiting pregnant women within the Mennonite community, in and around the Penn Yan area.  Midwifery is identified as a profession in the Education Law (Article 140) and there are definitions of the practice of midwifery, the use of the title Midwife, and specific requirements for obtaining a professional license as a Midwife. Catlin is accused of practicing as a Midwife without completing any of the requirements to lawfully do so. Catlin was processed at SP Canandaigua and then remanded to Ontario County Jail for centralized arraignment.  Bail was set at $5,000 cash and was posted.