Texas woman pleads guilty to selling medical information
Compliance Monitor, April 5, 2006
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A Texas woman pleaded guilty on March 6, 2006 to wrongfully using a unique health identifier with the intent to sell individually identifiable health information for personal gain, which is a federal felony.
Liz Arlene Ramirez faces a maximum punishment of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a $250,000 fine at her sentencing hearing on June 8, 2006, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Ramirez worked at a physician's office that had contracted to provide physicals and treatment to FBI agents.
In spring 2005, Ramirez offered to provide the personal and medical information of an FBI agent to someone she thought worked for a drug trafficker. The person was actually an FBI source. After paying Ramirez the agreed-upon $500, the source informed the FBI, which initiated an investigation in early 2005.
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