Woman who faked her own death sentenced to federal prison

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A woman who faked her own death and was later found hiding in a closet was sentenced Wednesday to time in federal prison.

Julie Wheeler, who’s in her mid-40s, will spend a year and a day behind bars for an obstruction of justice charge.

Last year, she was sentenced to 42 months for a federal health care fraud conviction. Investigators say those charges are the reason she and her husband, Rodney Wheeler, worked to fake her death.

They’re accused of reporting she fell off a cliff in the New River Gorge, which led to a two-day search for a body.

Investigators eventually found Julie Wheeler at her home, hiding in her bedroom closet. Rodney Wheeler will be sentenced in April.

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