Woman Faces Multiple Charges Over Drug Test Results A federal grand jury returned a 25-count indictment,charging a California woman for falsifying commercial driver drug test results.Demetri Dearth, 56, faces charges of mail fraud and false statements to agovernment agency, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the EasterDistrict of California. According to the indictment, Dearth was the owner andoperator of Advanced Programs based in Redding. Dearth purported to assistemployers of commercial drivers to comply with United States Department ofTransportation regulations requiring pre-employment and random drug tests ofcommercial drivers.Instead of sending specimens collected from drivers tolaboratories and doctors for testing and review, Dearth created false andfraudulent documents purportedly signed by doctors indicating that the drugtests had come back negative, according to the indictment. Dearth then allegedbilled her clients for these tests. This case is the product of an investigationby the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General. Ifconvicted of mail fraud, Dearth faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 yearsin prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum statutory penalty for falsestatements to a government agency is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. |