FIVE CHARGED FOR STEALING PATIENT INFORMATION
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Henry Gutierrez, Postal Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, announced the filing of a criminal complaint against defendants Albert Anthony Andrulonis, 26, of Davie, Raushanah Bowleg, 33, of Opa Locka , Mildred Alexis, 42, of Miramar, Natashi Orr, 36, of North Miami, and Jimmy Lee Theodore, 27, of Pembroke Pines, in connection with the theft of private patient information at Holy Cross Hospital (HCH) in Fort Lauderdale and a doctor’s office in Aventura. Four of the five defendants were arrested today and made their initial appearances in federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin Rosenbaum. Defendant Jimmy Lee Theodore remains at large.
More specifically, the complaint charges the defendants with conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, and wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information. If convicted of the mail, wire, and bank fraud charges, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years on each count. In addition, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison on each count of wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information.
According to the complaint unsealed this morning, the defendants conspired to steal patient information from the Emergency Room at HCH and from a doctor’s office. The defendants then allegedly sold the patients’ information to others, who used the information to fraudulently obtain credit cards and bank accounts in the names of the patients.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, defendant Alexis recruited and paid an HCH employee, identified in the complaint as ORR, to steal HCH Emergency Room patient information. Alexis also recruited and paid defendant Bowleg, who was employed at a doctors office in Aventura, to steal patient information from his job. The patient information was then transferred to defendants Andrulonis and Theodore, who used it to open bank accounts and to obtain debit and credit cards in the patients’ names, effectively stealing their identities.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Ferrer also thanked Holy Cross Hospital for its assistance and cooperation during this investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Lanigan.
A complaint is only an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
