Rodney Wheeler, Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice, West Virginia 2021

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Raleigh County man received a sentence of eight months of confinement for his role in a conspiracy to obstruct justice. Rodney Wheeler, 48, of Beckley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice on January 5, 2021.

Wheeler was ordered to serve two months of incarceration in federal prison, to be followed by six months of home confinement and then three years of supervised release. According to court documents and statements made in court, Rodney and Julie Wheeler conspired to fake Julie’s death at the New River Gorge to avoid her federal court sentencing for health care fraud.

Rodney Wheeler placed a 911 call on May 31, 2020, falsely claiming that Julie Wheeler had fallen from the Grandview Overlook in the New River Gorge in West Virginia. The overlook is a steep cliff with a series of ledges leading down to the New River.

This 911 call prompted a massive search and rescue operation with hundreds of volunteers, law enforcement, and professional search and rescue personnel looking for Julie Wheeler at the base of the overlook and the surrounding area. Helicopters provided by the West Virginia Air National Guard and the West Virginia State Police searched from the air, repelling experts looked in the cliffs, and rescue dogs with their handlers scoured the ground looking for any trace of Julie Wheeler.

Throughout the massive search effort, Rodney Wheeler repeatedly gave false statements to state and federal investigators intentionally designed to mislead them about his wife’s whereabouts. Rodney Wheeler also made a false Facebook post on June 1, 2020, stating “[T]he accident at Grandview yesterday involved my wife . . . they have not found her yet but I am holding out hope that she will be found and she is ok . . . I am heartbroken and lost right now but I have to have faith . . . please give us time to worth through this and please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.”

After two days of searching, the West Virginia State Police located Julie Wheeler hiding in a closet inside her own home. Once removed from her closet by the State Troopers, Rodney and Julie Wheeler were both taken into custody. In statements to state and federal investigators, Rodney and Julie Wheeler both admitted they conspired to fake her disappearance to avoid Julie Wheeler’s pending federal sentencing in a health care fraud case.

Julie Wheeler, Rodney’s wife, was sentenced in February 2021 to a total of 54 months in federal prison for health care fraud and her own role in the obstruction conspiracy. Julie Wheeler’s underlying health care fraud conviction related to her overbilling a VA program for spina bifida care. She was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $289,055.07 for the overbilling scheme.

A highly-coordinated effort by the agencies involved led to the arrest and prosecution of Rodney Wheeler. Rodney Wheeler, 48, of Beckley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice on January 5, 2021. He was ordered to serve two months of incarceration in federal prison, to be followed by six months of home confinement and then three years of supervised release. Julie Wheeler was sentenced in February 2021 to 54 months in federal prison for health care fraud and her role in the obstruction conspiracy.

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. presided over both criminal matters. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes handled the prosecutions.

Rodney Wheeler’s role in the conspiracy to obstruct justice has been brought to an end, but the consequences of his actions will be felt for years to come. Julie Wheeler’s sentencing serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability in cases of health care fraud and obstruction of justice.

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