ER worker allegedly stole, sold patient records through encrypted phone app
A Brooklyn hospital emergency room worker is being accused of stealing private patient records and selling them through an encrypted phone application, according to a report by the New York Daily News.
In February, the FBI arrested Orlando Jemmott, 52, after receiving a tip about the alleged crimes. According to the report, the tip accused Jemmott of stealing and selling health records to Ron Pruitt, of Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, using WhatsApp—which was described as an encrypted messaging phone app.
“She took Jemmott’s phone from his home and gave it to the FBI unsolicited, and provided agents with a photo of his WhatsApp profile, court documents allege. The feds got a warrant to access the phone, where they found hundreds of messages between Jemmott and Pruitt, including more than 180 combinations of names and phone numbers. And Pruitt was asking for more names,” the report said.
“So far, hospital officials have confirmed that Jemmott passed Pruitt the names of 98 patients, and he accessed the private health records of at least 88 of those patients, the feds allege."
Jemmott worked at the hospital for more than a decade and was fired in April following the allegations. He is currently free on an $80,000 bond and has been negotiating a plea deal, according to the report.
Pruitt, 43, was arrested by the FBI last week and is currently free on his own recognizance.
To read the full report, click the link below.
Danielle covers Clinical Innovation & Technology as a senior news writer for TriMed Media. Previously, she worked as a news reporter in northeast Missouri and earned a journalism degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She's also a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Bulls.