Passaic County, New Jersey, Woman Admits Criminal Violation Of HIPAA

TRENTON, N.J. – A Passaic County, New Jersey, woman today admitted her involvement in selling documents containing the individually identifiable health information of patients who received services at a New Jersey hospital, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Okeisha Carey, 48, of Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp in Trenton federal court to an information charging her with wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From July 2010 through April 2011, Carey was employed as a billing supervisor for a hospital in Bergen County, New Jersey. During that time, she obtained patient records containing personally identifiable information, including patients’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and Medicare and Medicaid insurance information. She later transferred more than 250 patient records to another individual in exchange for cash payments.

The wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 11, 2015.

U.S. Attorney Fishman praised special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl Agnelli, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas S. Kearney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.