Everybody Got to Deviate From the Debt: Minnesota Menace Scams His Way out of Paying Hospital Bills

The final scene of his crime, via CentraCare Minnesota native Phillip Michael Schaeffer fooled the Dixie Regional Medical Center into thinking that he was Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson in order to avoid paying medical bills. He went in for treatment in December 2011, using Lifeson's identity in order to claim that he didn't have health insurance. He told staff that an agent, "Phil Michaels", would be covering his medical costs. That visit alone racked up $23,000 out of the $72,000 he owed in total, but where did the other $49,000 come from? He pulled a similar stunt at the same hospital in November 2012 and February 2013 where he claimed to be Pink Floyd's frontman, David Gilmour. He then took it to the St. Cloud hospital on April 20, where he was arrested four days later on charges for swindling and theft. Some of the doctors rightfully expressed their suspicions, causing an investigation to open, which involved going through his patient chart and camera footage. H...