On October 18, 2016, Ranee Roberts, a doctor of chiropractic medicine, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, St. Louis, Missouri, to 6 months home confinement, 4 years of probation, and 100 hours community service and ordered to pay $23,373.87 in restitution and a $4,000 fine. Roberts had previously pleaded guilty to health-care fraud and falsification of records relating to commercial driver’s licenses (CDL). 

 

From May 2014 to May 2015, Roberts falsified medical examiner’s certificates, which are required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for drivers holding CDLs. Roberts directed her office staff to perform parts of the medical examination, although she knew they were not FMCSA-certified and had not received training in the proper administration of the tests. Several parts of the examination that unqualified staff performed were tests that could potentially disqualify a driver. 

 

Roberts’ staff members were directed to write the results of the tests on Post-it notes and attach them to the examination form. Roberts also changed test results that were not in the passing range when she conducted physical examinations. On some occasions, she submitted certificates to FMCSA before examining the drivers. She provided the drivers with copies of the fraudulent certificates, and the drivers provided them to their employers. 

 

DOT-OIG worked this investigation jointly with the Health and Human Services OIG.