Former High Point Regional Hospital Accountant Sentenced

GREENSBORO, N.C. B A former High Point Regional Hospital employee who stole close to $4 million from the hospital was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Winston-Salem, announced United States Attorney Matthew G.T. Martin of the Middle District of North Carolina.

The Honorable Thomas D. Schroeder sentenced KIMBERLY RUSSELL HOBSON, 46, of Kernersville, North Carolina, to a 102 month term of imprisonment on charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. HOBSON pleaded guilty in February.

“Today’s stiff sentence serves notice that white collar criminals will be brought to justice. No one is above the law in the Middle District of North Carolina,” said U.S. Attorney Martin. “Thank you to the law enforcement officers with the Department of Treasury, U.S. Secret Service, Guilford County Sheriff’s Department, and High Point Police Department who have worked diligently to uncover Ms. Hobson’s fraud and seek restitution for the hospital.”

HOBSON was employed in accounting and finance at High Point Regional Hospital for more than 20 years, ending in August 2017. Over a period of approximately ten years, HOBSON wrote checks to cash, to herself, and to other family members, which were then deposited in HOBSON’s personal bank account. She also directed payments from hospital accounts to her personal loans and credit cards, and used a hospital-issued credit card for personal expenses. HOBSON also diverted direct deposits of payroll from nine other employees by intermittently substituting her bank account for the direct deposit account of the other employees.

In total, HOBSON’s schemes to steal hospital funds for her own benefit caused a total loss to the hospital of $3,880,075.53. HOBSON was ordered to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss to the hospital and to an insurance company which covered a portion of the loss.

HOBSON is also subject to a forfeiture judgment in the amount of $2,675,000, and numerous vehicles and other assets purchased by HOBSON with stolen money have been seized and forfeited. All monies recovered through forfeiture will be applied to pay restitution until the restitution is paid in full.

The case was investigated by the Department of Treasury - Office of Inspector General, United States Secret Service, Guilford County Sheriff's Department, and High Point Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert M. Hamilton, Lynne P. Klauer, and Anand P. Ramaswamy.

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