RUTHERFORD COUNTY – An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment and arrest of a former Murfreesboro man, charged with impersonating a licensed professional when providing COVID testing.

At the request of 16^th Judicial District Attorney General Jennings Jones, in November 2021, special agents began investigating an allegation that a man who had been providing COVID testing for various artists and venues had used a fraudulent diploma to obtain employment. During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that Jacob Melnychuk created a fraudulent master’s degree diploma and portrayed himself to be a licensed professional. The investigation further revealed that Melnychuk used a licensed professional’s information to submit numerous tests, without that person’s knowledge.

On February 6^th, the Rutherford County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Jacob Melnychuk (DOB  04/21/1986) with one count of Falsifying Educational or Academic Records, three counts of Impersonating a Licensed Professional, one count of Identity Theft, and one count of Forgery. On February 26^th, Melnychuk was booked into the Rutherford County Jail on a $100,000 bond.