The United States Attorney's Office

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO EMAILING EXTORTION THREATS DEMANDING $500,000 FROM VENTURA COUNTY HOSPITAL

A Lompoc man pleaded guilty today to making extortionate threats to the parent company of  Saint John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard.

Andrew Burroughs, 30, pleaded guilty to the felony charge this morning in United States District Court in Los Angeles. As a result of his guilty plea, Burroughs faces up to two years in federal prison.

In a plea agreement, Burroghs admitted that in 2005 he sent an email to St. John’s parent company, Catholic Healthcare West, for the purpose of extorting money. The email was sent to a representative of Catholic Healthcare West in Arizona. The extortionate communication contained threats to injure the property and reputation of Catholic Healthcare West by threatening to disseminate photographs of mold contamination at Saint John’s Regional Medical Center. In the communication, Burroughs demanded $500,000 from Catholic Healthcare West’s representatives in return for not disseminating the photos and information that he described as incriminating.

Burroughs had previously worked for an environmental company that was doing work to remediate the mold problem at St. Johns.

Burroughs pleaded guilty before United States District Judge George H. Wu, who is scheduled to sentence the defendant on November 3.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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