A man from Glen Allen, Va., posed as a doctor using fraudulent information to land assignments through medical staffing companies, the US Attorney’s Office announced. In one case, the man was assigned as an independent contractor physician to a free clinic in Newport News, Va. He saw nearly two dozen patients before the clinic terminated him after it couldn’t verify his credentials.

The US Attorney’s Office said the man, Vishal Patel, 30, was arrested Tuesday in Kansas on charges of fraud, false statements and identity theft.

Patel had used personal identifying information of licensed physicians to pose as a doctor in online employment applications to medical staffing firms, according to the office. He falsely claimed to be a licensed doctor and created false diplomas and certificates. In addition, Patel accessed doctors’ information by pretending to be the physicians and contacting agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The maximum possible penalty in this case is 20 years in prison.