Man Arrested for Identity Theft From New York Presbyterian Hospital

The Department of Justice announced the arrest late Friday of former New York Presbyterian Hospital employee Dwight McPherson for his participation in a scheme to steal the identities of more than 40,000 people, and then sell those stolen identities to individuals seeking to commit fraud.

According to the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, over the course of approximately two years, McPherson, as a patient admissions representative, had access to the hospital’s patient registration system which contains the personal identification information of patients.

Starting in early 2006, McPherson agreed to provide the personal identification information of patients of New York Presbyterian to at least two co-conspirators in return for money. McPherson knew that these individuals were going to use this information to commit crimes.

In connection with the scheme, McPherson accessed approximately 49,841 patient records over a two year period of time. In December 2007 and early 2008 alone, McPHERSON sold over 2,000 patient identification records to his co-conspirators in New York. In February 2008, approximately 221 of these records were seized by federal agents in Atlanta, Georgia.

If convicted, McPHERSON faces a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment, a maximum fine of the greatest of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss derived from the offense.

If you believe you were a victim of this crime, including a victim entitled to restitution, and you wish to provide information to law enforcement and/or receive notice of future developments in the case or additional information, contact Wendy Olsen-Clancy, the Victim Witness Coordinator at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, at (866) 874-8900 or Wendy.Olsen@usdoj.gov. For additional information, go to: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/victimwitness.html on the Internet.