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Glen Allen man arrested for being a ‘fake’ doctor, seeing patients

Posted at 2:56 PM, Dec 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-20 15:17:12-05

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A Glen Allen man faces more than 20 years in prison after he faked being a doctor, according to the United States Attorney’s Office. Vishal J. Patel, 30, was arrested Tuesday in Kansas on charges of fraud, false statements, and identity theft.

“Patel created and submitted false diplomas and certificates concerning his education, training, certifications, and licenses in which he included registration and licensing numbers belonging to various licensed physicians. To obtain access to their information, Patel posed as the physicians when contacting various oversight entities, including the Drug Enforcement Administration. Patel directed those entities to alter the physicians’ licensing records so that they appeared to be associated with Patel,” a United States Attorney’s Office spokesperson said. “He then directed these entities to mail him copies of the altered records. Through the scheme, Patel fraudulently induced various medical staffing companies to employ him as an independent contractor.”

During the course of his scheme, Patel got a job at a free clinic in Newport News where he saw nearly two dozen patients, investigators said. He lost that job when the clinic could not verify his credentials.

“Patel has been charged with wire fraud, furnishing false information in a DEA record, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft,” a United States Attorney’s Office spokesperson said. “He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years, along with a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison, if convicted.”

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