Certified medical examiner sentenced in DOT physical scheme

A Florida-based certified medical examiner has been sentenced for falsifying U.S. Department of Transportation physical examinations.

Ronald E. Sherry, on June 19 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, was sentenced to 180 days of home confinement, 60 months of probation, 500 hours of community service, and a $100 special assessment.

Sherry was arrested in November, and then in February he pled guilty to falsification of records and obstruction related to fraudulent medical examinations of CDL holders.

Working as a physician’s assistant, Sherry also was serving as a certified medical examiner. According to an FMCSA review, Sherry performed 10 times more DOT physicals in 2016 and 2017 than the national average.

According to the November news release from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General, Sherry was accused of making false entries on FMCSA medical exam forms and transmitting them to FMCSA. OIG said the incidents took place between March 2018 and March 2019.

“The forms indicated that he had conducted CDL medical examinations in accordance with federal regulations, when in fact he had not,” the OIG news release stated. “FMCSA requires drivers engaged in interstate commerce to be physically able to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle.”

Other coverage of certified medical examiner cases and issues covered by Land Line Media:

• Pennsylvania medical examiner suspended by FMCSA – Less than a month after being sentenced for his role in fraudulent medical exams, a former Pennsylvania examiner has been officially suspended by FMCSA.
• Georgia examiner indicted – A Georgia CDL examiner pleaded guilty for his role in a scheme to falsify DOT exams.