Florida Clinic Worker Facing 22 Years in Jail for Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft
A former medical clinic worker in Florida who impermissibly accessed the HIPAA protected health information of patients and sold the information to identity thieves has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Stacey Lavette Hendricks, 49, of Leesburg, FL, had previously been employed as an administrative worker at several state medical clinics in Florida. Her role gave her access to the protected health information of patients. Hendrinks used her access to steal patient information from the unnamed medical clinics, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. That information was sold to identity thieves for cash and was also used to defraud businesses.
The United States Secret Service investigated the case. Hendricks was apprehended after she attempted to sell stolen patient information to an undercover law enforcement officer. A warrant was obtained to search her home and car and law enforcement officers found patient information stolen from the clinics related to 113 different patients.
Hendricks was charged in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Ocala and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and two counts of fraud with identification documents: Aggravated identity theft and possession of means of identification with intent to commit felony. No date has currently been set for sentencing.
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Hendricks now faces a maximum jail term of up to 20 years for the wire fraud charge and a mandatory 2-year consecutive term for aggravated identity theft.
Update: May 25, 2020: Stacey Lavette Hendricks was sentenced to serve 48 months in federal prison for aggravated identity theft and wire fraud
