A 30-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on charges of fraud, false statements and identity theft for allegedly using licensed physicians' personal identifying information to pose as a physician, according to the Department of Justice.
According to the allegations in the indictment, Vishal J. Patel used the physicians' personal information in online employment applications submitted to medical staffing companies. In those applications, Mr. Patel claimed to be licensed to practice medicine in Virginia. He also allegedly used false diplomas, training certifications and licenses in which he included various physicians' registration and licensing numbers.
To get access to the licensed physicians' information, Mr. Patel allegedly posed as the physicians when contacting the Drug Enforcement Administration and other oversight agencies. Mr. Patel had those agencies alter the physicians' licensing records to make them appear to be associated with him, according to the DOJ.
Mr. Patel used the false information to gain employment at a free clinic in Newport News, Va. According to the indictment, he saw nearly two dozen patients before he was fired due to the clinic's inability to verify his credentials.
Mr. Patel faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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