from the pages of HEALTHCARE SECURITY WEEKLY

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A former employee of the U.C.L.A. Medical Center was indicted on charges she accessed medical information on dozens of celebrity patients and sold that information to an unidentified media outlet, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The United States Attorney’s office on April 29 announced the indictment of Lawanda Jackson, 49, an administrative specialist at the medical center. The indictment did not identify the celebrities.

However, the indictment follows revelations of privacy breaches involving at least 61 patients, including actress Farrah Fawcett and California first lady Maria Shriver, the AP said. The indictment alleges the worker received $4,600 from the media outlet in exchange for providing the private patient information.

The worker told the The Los Angeles Times earlier in April that she was just “being nosy” in accessing patient records, but denied giving out the information or being paid. Her arraignment is set for June 9 and she could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.