A former employee at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and at DMC Harper Hospital and her partner are being accused by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of allegedly stealing the personal information of more than 1,000 Metro Detroit hospital patients and then receiving close to $500,000 in phony tax return funds.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office indicted Markitta Washington, 29, who worked at the hospitals, and Martz Lear, 29, Tuesday on multiple counts of identity theft, according to a Detroit News report. Washington was arrested in Georgia, while Lear is serving time in a Michigan prison on a gun-related charge.
The two shared a home, which was searched, leading to the indictments. Social Security numbers, names and dates of birth of 1,400 people were found along with recoded credit cards and gift cards.
Both hospitals are providing credit card monitoring and protection for those affected.
While she was working at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital between Jan. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2013, Washington allegedly took 141 patient records from inpatient neurology and outpatient radiology care, using the information to file false tax returns in other people’s names.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Washington and Lear filed false tax returns using the information from at least 305 patients during 2011 and 2012, collecting about $489,000 in mostly pre-paid cards.
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