Yesterday we reported on a man who pleaded guilty for ripping off truckers in a diesel engine-repair scheme. Today, another person is in the news for scamming truck drivers. This time, a 58-year-old Pennsylvania woman was indicted for pretending to be a physician and charging truck drivers for fraudulent DOT physicals.
According to the Central Penn Business Journal, between 2012 and 2014, 58-year-old Joann Wingate built a practice around performing federally mandated physical examinations for commercial truck drivers. The problem was — she wasn’t a licensed medical examiner.
In order to perpetuate the scam, she advertised her services and submitted false exam results to federal agencies using the identity of another licensed physician with the same last name.
She advertised her services in various newspapers and trucks stops, and even had a contract with a local trucking company to handle the medical examinations for all of their employees.
A truck driver who responded to one of her ads in 2014 tipped off authorities after finding it “odd” that she drove him to her house in South Middleton Township to perform a physical exam. The driver’s call sparked a 2-year investigation into her fraudulent practice.
On Wednesday, October 20th, 2016, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced that Wingate had been indicted on charges of wire fraud, submitting false documents, and aggravated identity theft.
The investigation also revealed that Wingate was once a licensed chiropractor, but had her licensed suspended in 2014. She faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.