A former healthcare employee pled guilty to multiple counts of identity theft and wire fraud after stealing patient information protected under HIPAA, according to the Department of Justice.
According to court documents, Montgomery, Ala., resident Alana Wells admitted to stealing the names, dates of birth and social security numbers of patients from her employer's database protected under HIPPA.
DOJ officials did not release the name or location of the healthcare company Ms. Wells worked for during the incident.
Ms. Wells also admitted to providing those identities to her two co-conspirators. Together, they would file fraudulent tax returns with the IRS and request refunds, according to DOJ officials.
Ms. Wells's accomplices were sentenced to 60 to 74 months in prison. A date has not been set for her own sentencing hearing.
If convicted, she faces a maximum of five years in prison for conspiracy and a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
More articles about legal and regulatory issues:
ACLU issues advisory to hospitals in border regions regarding body cavity searches on detainees
DOJ charges 3 people for $1B Medicare fraud scheme
Fraud prevention efforts save $42B for Medicare, Medicaid over 2 years