NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – A Glen Allen man was arrested in Kansas Tuesday on charges of fraud, false statements and identity theft after it was discovered he was posing as a doctor.
Vishal J. Patel
The indictment states that 30-year-old Vishal J. Patel used the personal information of licensed physicians to pose as a doctor in online employment applications to medical staffing companies, in which he falsely claimed to be licensed to practice medicine in Virginia.
Patel created and submitted false diplomas and certificates concerning his education, training, certifications and licenses to support his claim. He also included the registration and licensing numbers of different physicians. He obtained access to the physicians’ information by posing as them 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 him. He then directed these entities to mail him copies of the altered records. Through this scheme, he fraudulently induced various medical staffing companies to employ him as an independent contractor. Patel was employed by at least one company at a free clinic in Newport News, where he saw nearly two dozen patients before he was terminated due to the clinic’s inability to verify his credentials.
Patel has been charged with wire fraud, furnishing false information in a DEA record, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years along with a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison if convicted.
