The Jefferson Parish Council, which runs Marrero, La.-based West Jefferson Medical Center, voted to subpoena the cellphone records of the medical center's former CFO in an ongoing investigation regarding major errors in the publically owned institution's reported financial data, according to the New Orleans Advocate.
While it is unclear what information may be obtained from the phone records, parish CAO Keith Conley said the subpoena was necessary because former CFO Madeline Browning allegedly deleted all the files on the cell phone before officially resigning in July. Hospital officials said it was standard procedure to erase all data off of phones returned by former employees, according to the article.
The request for the subpoena was issued by London-based accounting firm Ernst & Young. The parish hired the firm in July to conduct an audit of the medical center's finances.
Parish officials said internal investigators found mistakes in financial calculations used to negotiate its lease with New Orleans-based hospital operator LCMC. The financial mistakes included the medical center overstating its earnings by $9 million.
Cellphone operator AT&T refused to issue the phone records without a subpoena, according to the article.