Pennsylvania woman gets probation for FMCSA fraud

Medical examiner’s certificates and drug-testing forms were falsified and unsuspecting physician’s signature was forged.

   A Pennsylvania woman has been sentenced to two years of probation in connection with a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration fraud case.
   Joann Wingate of Mechanicsburg, Pa, was sentenced July 18 in U.S. District Court in Harrisburg. The two years of probation includes six months of home detention with electronic monitoring. Wingate, who had pleaded guilty to wire fraud and making a false statement, also was ordered to pay a $300 assessment fee. The court deferred a determination of restitution to a later date.
   According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, an investigation revealed Wingate had falsified FMCSA-regulated medical examiner’s certificates and drug-testing chain of custody forms; forged documents by using the identity of an unsuspecting licensed physician; falsified other documents by claiming to be a medical review officer; and continued to perform FMCSA-regulated medical exams for commercial driver’s license holders, in exchange for payment, after the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania suspended her chiropractic license in 2013. 
   The Office of Inspector General said Wingate admitted she unlawfully performed DOT-regulated medical examinations for commercial drivers; placed the name, license number and signature of an unsuspecting licensed doctor on medical examiner’s certificates; and electronically submitted the forged certificates to state DOTs. 
   She also admitted contracting with a trucking firm to handle its DOT drug-and-alcohol program requirements in exchange for payment, even though she was not qualified to act as an MRO, according to investigators.
   Wingate collected urine samples and completed custody of control forms, illicitly listing her name as the MRO. She then mailed the forms to a DOT-certified drug-testing laboratory. The trucking company relied on those false documents to prove compliance with FMCSA regulations.