Fraud Taints California Paramedic Licensing Process

Before Richard Clarence Brown became a paramedic helping people in distress, he engaged in a few distressing activities himself, including stealing a car in Stockton and conspiring to kidnap a child for ransom.

He was convicted of a felony, jailed and ordered to get counseling. But Brown didn't breathe a word about his dark past when he first applied for a license in 1994 from the state agency that regulates California's 16,000 paramedics.

When Brown did disclose some of his history while seeking to renew his license in 2000 -- for the third time -- state officials took a closer look at his training records and found they were a lie as well.

Most paramedics work hard to earn and keep their licenses by studying the latest advances in emergency medicine, taking refresher courses and disclosing past legal trouble. But others cut dangerous corners -- and nobody knows just how many of them are out there in ambulances.

These unqualified paramedics hide their background and lack of qualifications in myriad ways to land and keep their jobs, The Bee found in a review of thousands of pages of state documents obtained under the California Public Records Act. They embellish training records, manufacture classes never attended, or even claim someone else's license number.

The detection of certification fraud is spotty at best because the Emergency Medical Services Authority, the 50-person state agency that oversees paramedics, says it doesn't have the resources to scrutinize an estimated 500 license applications and renewals each month.

A paramedic program coordinator at a Southern California college who caught one of the fraud perpetrators called the practice appalling.

"If he's willing to make up a document, what's he willing to do to a patient who may be my mom, your friend or a member of your family?" said Phil Rawlings, of Riverside Community College. "We're talking about protecting the public here."

Such certification fraud hit close to home last year. David Jose Martinez, who worked six years as an area paramedic -- even training rookies -- resigned from the Galt Fire Department last fall after authorities say they discovered he had used another paramedic's license number to manufacture a state license card.

His alleged fraud was caught only when Galt merged with Elk Grove's Fire Department, and Elk Grove officials conducted routine background checks on all of their new paramedics.

Martinez, who confirmed his resignation but declined further comment, now faces criminal forgery and counterfeiting charges. Sacramento Fire Department officials said no patients had ever complained about poor care by Martinez during the five years he worked for them.

As such fraud arises, some employers adjust their screening practices. In the Martinez case, the state also acted quickly.

EMSA Director Dr. Cesar Aristeiguieta issued a statewide alert, urging employers to check licensing records and to prosecute locally since the state can take action only against legitimately licensed paramedics. Aristeiguieta said the state's subsequent investigation indicated the Sacramento and Galt fire departments did not ask for originals of Martinez's credentials but accepted photocopies he made using a store-bought labeler.

Both the state's rapid response and the criminal charges make the Martinez case unusual, The Bee's three-month investigation found. More typical are delays in state licensing penalties and no criminal prosecution.

Aristeiguieta maintains that license fraud is not a large problem in California. Yet, despite various state safeguards on paper, responsibility for unearthing the fraud usually falls to local public health agencies, fire departments and private ambulance companies.

There, The Bee found, it tends to be uncovered almost by accident -- an employer makes a background check or someone reports a colleague -- suggesting that the fraud may be more extensive and the risk to patients far greater than the state believes.