Broward County Women Sentenced for Using Patient Information in Real Estate Scheme

Miami, Florida – Samantha Johnson, 57, of Pompano Beach, and her wife, Sandra Shea, 56, of Cooper City, were sentenced on Tuesday by the Honorable United States District Court Judge Roy K. Altman to 30 and 24 months’ imprisonment, respectively.  Both defendants must serve a term of supervised release of 3 years and pay a fine of $10,000.  A restitution hearing is set for June 15, 2022.

In January, Johnson and Shea pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud the United States.  Both defendants admitted that they conspired to obtain and utilize patient information from a large local healthcare provider in Hollywood, Florida, where Shea was employed.  According to the factual proffer, Shea improperly accessed 22 patient files from the healthcare provider.  In court documents, the defendants admitted that they intended to use the personal information of these patients to acquire distressed, abandoned, foreclosed and probated real property.

Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Joseph W. Cronin, Inspector in Charge, Miami Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and Gregory Tony, Sheriff, Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO), made the announcement.

The case against Johnson and Shea is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Broward County Property Appraisers Office.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas P. Lanigan and Matthew J. Feeley.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-60184.

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