Man Impersonates Pink Floyd Guitarist David Gilmour In $100,000 Hospital Bill Scam
When David Gilmour, lead guitarist of the English rock band Pink Floyd, assumingly checked into St. Cloud hospital the attending staff was overjoyed about sharing space with a musical icon.
That is, of course, until they realized they had been duped by a man who allegedly impersonated Gilmour to avoid medical payment.
Philip Michael Schaeffer, 53, was charged with theft by swindle after entering the Minnesota area hospital on April 20 under the name David Gilmour. Hospital staff said Schaeffer was brazen enough to even sign an autograph for an employee's son.
The resident of Monticello is being accused of entering St. Cloud hospital for treatment where he claimed his name was David Gilmour and that he did not have any medical insurance. Schaeffer was treated by hospital personnel than released.
A representative from the hospital, Jeanine Nistler said, "There was some discussion among security staff leading people to believe that he really wasn't David Gilmour."
"So our security supervisor pulled up the security camera shots of when this man entered the hospital and compared them to pictures on the Internet of Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and determined he was not David Gilmour."
Police were notified and when they confronted the man about his identity he admitted that he was not the famous musician. When all was said and done Schaeffer amassed around $100,000 in unpaid medical bills.
Authorities charged him with a felony and booked him into Stearns County Jail on April 24 where he was released on Thursday pending further investigation.