Ten years behind bars and a fine of $250,000 – that was the penalty for a hospital worker who tried to sell the private medical records of an FBI agent.
Texas resident Liz Arlene Ramirez, 36, was found guilty of selling the confidential medical records of an FBI agent to a person she thought was working for a drug trafficker.
Ramirez was sentenced to a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. She pleaded guilty to the federal felony offense of wrongfully using her position in the hospital to sell individually identifiable health information for personal gain.
Ramirez was employed at a doctor's office that provided physicals and medical treatment to FBI agents. Prosecutors proved that she agreed to provide the personal and medical information of an FBI agent to a person she thought was working for a drug trafficker. The person was actually a confidential source of information to the FBI, who recorded their various meetings. At their final meeting Ramirez received $500, the price she set for providing the medical records.
“This is a vivid example of law enforcement work. Just one medical record sold, but the guilt of the insider was proven beyond doubt. The investigators, prosecutors and the court did their work well. This is a perfect example of what needs to happen where there are currently no private data laws," says Denis Zenkin, marketing director at InfoWatch.
Source: HIPAA News
