He said his wife fell off cliff, sparking huge search. She actually faked her death to avoid prison.

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WEST VIRGINIA REGIONAL JAIL & CORRECTIONAL FACILITY AUTHORITY
Julie Wheeler and Rodney Wheeler were arrested Tuesday on multiple charges including conspiracy and giving false information to West Virginia State Police. Authorities said the couple faked her disappearance as part of a scheme to keep her out of having to go to prison.

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/julie-wheeler-rodney-wheeler-faked-disapearance_n_5ed910f1c5b6e0feefc25a32

Morning Mix

He said his wife fell off a cliff, sparking a huge search. She actually faked her death to avoid prison.

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Search and rescue workers looked for Julie Wheeler after her husband, Rodney Wheeler, reported she fell off a steep cliff at a West Virginia national park last May. Authorities found Julie hiding inside a closet days after the search began. (Image from WTRF)

By Andrea Salcedo
April 7, 2021 at 5:37 a.m. EDT

Last May, Rodney Wheeler dialed 911 with a frantic plea for help: His wife had just plunged hundreds of feet over a steep cliff in a West Virginia national park. ... Authorities quickly launched a massive search for Julie Wheeler, 44. For days, hundreds of volunteers, police, and professional rescuers trekked along the base of the New River where her husband said she had fallen, aided by helicopters and rescue dogs.

But Julie Wheeler had never gone missing. Three days after she supposedly fell off a cliff, authorities found her hiding inside a closet in the couple’s Beaver, W.Va., home. ... In fact, the couple had tried to elaborately fake her death to help her avoid federal sentencing in a health-care fraud scheme. They planned to eventually slip away and hide together.

On Monday, a federal judge sentenced Rodney Wheeler, 48, to two months in prison and six months of home confinement for his role in the plot. Julie Wheeler had already been sentenced to 54 months in prison for the health-care fraud and the faked death scheme. A judge also ordered her to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution.

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Andrea Salcedo
Andrea Salcedo is a reporter on The Washington Post's Morning Mix team. Before joining The Post in 2020, she covered breaking news and features for the New York Times metro desk. Follow https://twitter.com/andreapsalcedo