YAKIMA, Wash. — An Ellensburg physician appeared in federal court in Yakima Monday following her arrest on charges of distributing prescription drugs and fraudulently certifying commercial truck drivers as medically fit to operate vehicles.

An indictment unsealed last week accuses Dr. Anna Elperin of falsifying Department of Transportation medical certification tests required for commercial driver's licenses. Federal prosecutors allege she charged drivers $150 to pass mandatory physical examinations, even when they had disqualifying medical conditions.

According to the indictment, Elperin improperly coached applicants on ways to temporarily manipulate their vital signs during exams.

Dea Dunfee, a former trucker who obtained his DOT medical card through Elperin's Ellensburg clinic Awak

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