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Press Release

Plant City Man Sentenced To Four Years In Prison For Selling Stolen Medical Records

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida

Tampa, FL –U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell today sentenced Vickie Lorenzo Bryant (39, Plant City) to four years in federal prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.  He pleaded guilty on August 23, 2016.

According to court documents, in May 2016, Bryant contacted a government confidential informant (CI) and offered to sell the CI approximately 1,000 individuals’ personally identifiable information (PII), including names, dates of birth, and social security numbers, for $15,000 or $15 per identity.  Bryant had previously sold stolen PII to the CI and knew that the CI had used the information to manufacture counterfeit credit cards and fake Florida driver licenses.  The CI had also purchased cellphones using the identity theft victims’ credit.  On June 9, 2016, and again on June 16, 2016, Bryant met with the CI in Tampa and sold him 957 different victims’ PII contained in printed medical records. 

A review of the PII sold by Bryant revealed that it consisted of over 1,000 pages of printed medical records that agents traced to Rotech Healthcare, a medical device company that provides respiratory and sleep apnea services across the United States.  All of the identity theft victims confirmed that they had received equipment (such as sleep apnea breathing machines) and/or services from Rotech, which has a billing center in Lakeland.

Bryant’s coconspirators, Fontella James and Sharmekia Young, the Rotech employees who allegedly stole the PII from their employer, were separately indicted on September 29, 2016, and charged with conspiracy, computer intrusion, and identity theft crimes. 

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as part of the Secret Service’s Financial Investigations Strike Team.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mandy Riedel.

Updated December 13, 2016

Topics
Financial Fraud
Identity Theft
StopFraud