Dad who uncovered child custody expert's allegedly fake psychology degree concerned for other families: "It's heartbreaking"

    DENVER, Colorado (KCNC) -- Having to fight for custody of his children was nightmare enough for Chad Kullhem.

"It was really scary," he said.

The experience was made worse by the family investigator working on his case.

"I had no way of knowing if anyone would hear me," he added.

Shannon McShane was responsible for evaluating Kullhem and his ex-wife and then recommending custody. He says from the beginning something felt off. He filed a complaint with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, also known as DORA.

The agency gave him McShane's credentials, including the Ph.D. she claimed to have received from a university in London, but the transcript didn't check out and he went to directly to that university with questions.

"They said 'Yeah, we don't have, like ...' she put letter grades on there for her doctorate. They were like 'We don't do letter grades for doctorate. We don't have these programs the way that she did it,' " he said. "So that was the evidence I had."

McShane had used those allegedly fake documents to become a licensed psychologist and addiction counselor in the state of Colorado. It was the key to having her name added to a statewide court roster of qualified family investigators, and it led to jobs with the Colorado Department of Corrections and Colorado Department of Human Services, where she worked at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo hospital for five years.

"It's absolutely heartbreaking that someone can get a doctorate, that someone can get their license, falsify their credentials, get into a powerful position with the court," Kullhem said.

CBS Colorado asked DORA about their vetting process when someone applies for a professional license.

In a statement a spokesperson said in part, "If someone is educated in the U.S. the division verifies all information with U.S. institutions. In this case, Ms. McShane was educated outside of the United States. When this is the case, all documents go through a third-party equivalency review which deemed them to be substantially equivalent to training at a U.S. accredited institution."

CBS Colorado took that same question to both state departments that hired McShane, who say as partnering state agencies, they rely on DORA's vetting process.

A spokesperson for Corrections added "I can confirm that we verified her credentials in accordance with this process." And, in a statement, the Department of Human Services said "the hospital completed a primary source verification, which is where the hospital and the Department of Regulatory Agencies confirm licensure as opposed to relying on the candidate providing a copy."

Eventually, Colorado's Attorney General launched an investigation, which ended in a 15-count criminal indictment with charges including forgery and attempting to influence a public official.

"She impacted a lot of people," Kullhem said.

He's now watching the criminal case closely, but his concern is with other families and warns them to do their research.

"I'm sure there are people out there who are permanently affected by this who don't have any idea what to do," he said.

CBS Colorado asked DORA if any changes have been made. A spokesperson said in part: "The Division's internal process was re-examined after Ms. McShane's transcripts were called into question. No immediate internal process changes were needed; however, the Division is continuing to examine how it can better ensure the validity of documents approved by outside entities."

A request for comment from McShane for this story was unanswered. She will return to court in April.