Osceola Co. teen who impersonated physician assistant could have book deal

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The Osceola County teen convicted for impersonating a physician assistant and facing charges for impersonating a police officer, may be ready to tell his own story.

Matthew Scheidt has been compared to Frank Abignale of "Catch Me If You Can" fame.

Scheidt was arrested in 2011 after he was caught working on patients at Osceola Regional Medical Center.

On the social media site Instagram, Channel 9 found a photo on Scheidt's account that showed paperwork with the title "Dupree/Miller and Associates, author-agent agreement."

Under the photo was the message, "and my 'journey' begins #book #contract #future #deal #awesome."

Dupree Miller and Associates is the publishing company that features books by authors like Dr. Phil.

Scheidt was not interested in talking with Channel 9 about a potential book deal.

About an hour later, his Instagram photo about the contract had been removed.

WFTV's legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said if Scheidt does have a deal, the law will ensure he won't see a dime.

"Unfortunately for him, in Florida we have a Son of Sam law, which means he's not going to profit from his crime," Sheaffer said.

Scheidt later talked from behind a closed door.

"As far as a book deal and stuff, I have not signed any book deal," Scheidt said.

"So, the thing on Instagram that you put out there was just fake?" asked Channel 9's Jeff Deal.

Scheidt did not reply.

The publishing company did not call back to confirm or deny if a book is in the works.

Scheaffer said any money Scheidt would make from a book or movie deal would go to a crime victims' fund, and would cover costs associated with his trial and incarceration.

WFTV