Influencer Ana Montana is facing a legal fight in North Carolina that goes beyond a simple drug possession case, with prosecutors accusing the model and longtime partner of NBA star LaMelo Ball of illegally obtaining a controlled substance through fraud or forgery.
Montana, whose legal name is Analicia Chaves, was arrested Monday, September 28, in Mecklenburg County, according to TMZ. She faces two felony counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or forgery and two misdemeanor counts involving possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance.
The allegations center on alprazolam, the generic version of Xanax, a prescription benzodiazepine commonly used to treat anxiety and panic disorders.
According to North Carolina law, acquiring or obtaining a controlled substance through misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge is prohibited. When prosecutors allege the violation was intentional and that finding is ultimately established, the offense can be punished as a Class I felony. That distinction makes Montana’s felony drug charges considerably more serious than an ordinary possession allegation.
Court records allege Montana went to a Walgreens in February and obtained alprazolam through a prescription connected to a doctor whose Drug Enforcement Administration registration and National Provider Identifier had allegedly been stolen or fraudulently obtained.
A warrant was issued on September 22 before Montana was taken into custody several days later.
Her attorney, Matthew G. Pruden, is pushing back against any suggestion that the accusations mean Montana personally stole or created the medical credentials involved.
“To clarify, the charges allege that a doctor who used a fraudulent DEA registration and NPI number prescribed Alprazolam for Ms. Chaves, and that she used the prescription written by the doctor to obtain the prescribed Alprazolam at a pharmacy,” her lawyer told TMZ.
“The drug possession charges appear to allege that she possessed the aforementioned Alprazolam upon obtaining it from the pharmacy via the prescription written by the doctor,” the lawyer added.
That explanation could become a significant part of the case because the felony statute addresses intentional conduct. Montana has only been charged, and the allegations against her have not been proven in court.
The potential penalties also depend heavily on how the case develops.
Under North Carolina’s felony sentencing structure, a Class I felony is the state’s lowest felony classification, but it can still bring substantial consequences. Sentences depend on a defendant’s prior criminal record, whether mitigating or aggravating factors are found, and whether a judge imposes community, intermediate, or active punishment.
North Carolina’s sentencing grid allows a Class I felony sentence to reach a maximum term of 24 months in the most serious applicable sentencing range. Because Montana faces two separate felony counts, both charges create independent criminal exposure, although whether any sentences would run together or consecutively would ultimately depend on the case and the court.
Her two Schedule IV possession counts carry separate consequences. North Carolina law generally classifies possession of a Schedule IV controlled substance as a Class 1 misdemeanor. Under the state’s misdemeanor sentencing rules, a Class 1 misdemeanor can carry up to 120 days of punishment depending on the defendant’s prior conviction level.
The case arrives during a major period of change for Montana and Ball.
Montana and Ball are partners and welcomed their first child together, son LaOne, in January 2026. They publicly introduced their son months later while discussing how becoming parents had reshaped their lives.
“Welcoming LaOne into the world has changed our hearts in the best way,” the couple told People. “Family has always meant everything to us, but becoming parents has given us an entirely new perspective on love, purpose, legacy and what truly matters most.”
The pair also launched I Am Fertility, an initiative inspired by Montana’s experience with IVF that is designed to provide education, emotional support and financial resources to women navigating fertility treatments, according to People.
Ball, meanwhile, was traded from Charlotte to Minnesota earlier this year, adding another transition for the young family.
Montana’s next reported court appearance is scheduled for October 20, according to Complex. Until then, the central legal question is not simply whether she possessed alprazolam, but what prosecutors can prove about what she knew regarding the prescription and the allegedly fraudulent medical credentials used to issue it.
