Texas Woman Who Stole, Sold Patients’ Health Information To Fund Spending Spree Heads To Prison
By Web Staff
Click here for updates on this story
PLANO, Texas (KTVT) — A Sherman woman was sentenced Thursday, July 22, to 2-and-a-half years in federal prison for stealing and selling protected health information.
Amanda Lowry, 40, pleaded guilty on Dec. 4, 2020, to conspiracy to obtain information from a protected computer.
“Today’s sentence is another example of the Eastern District’s commitment to vigorously defending protected health information and prosecuting those who exploit such information for their personal gain,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “The defendant’s actions not only compromised victims’ sensitive information, exposing them to fraudulent schemes; but, also ultimately resulted in unnecessary costs to federal healthcare programs.”
According to information presented in court, Lowry, Demetrius Cervantes, and Lydia Henslee were named in a federal indictment on Sept. 11, 2019 charging them with conspiracy to obtain information from a protected computer and conspiracy to unlawfully possess and use a means of identification.
They are alleged to have breached a health care provider’s electronic health record system in order to steal protected health information and personally identifiable information belonging to patients.
This stolen information was then “repackaged” in the form of false and fraudulent physician orders and subsequently sold to durable medical equipment providers and contractors.
The defendants obtained more than $1.4 million in proceeds from the sale of the stolen information.
The defendants then used those proceeds to purchase items such as sport utility vehicles, off-road vehicles, and jet skis.
Cervantes was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison on July 8, 2021.
Henslee pleaded guilty on March 25, 2021.
Her sentencing date has not been set.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
