Hospital CEO faces wiretapping charges

An Idaho hospital CEO has been charged with spying on a former hospital physician by tapping phone calls.

Louis Kraml, the CEO of Bingham Memorial Hospital in Blackfoot, entered a plea of guilty to a misdemeanor charge of stalking in the second degree, according to Attorney General Lawrence Wasden.

Prior to Kraml's plea entry, the Seventh District Court unsealed indictments which were handed down by the Bingham County Grand Jury on June 19. The indictments charged Kraml, and former hospital IT employees Jack York, Chris Behunin and Tyler Lassen, with various violations of the Idaho wiretap statute. According to the indictments, the defendants intercepted and recorded phone calls made by and to former hospital doctor Robert Rosin and his staff between June 2009 and August 2010.

Pursuant to a plea agreement, the Office of the Attorney General, acting as Special Bingham County Prosecuting Attorney, filed an amended indictment charging Kraml with stalking in the second degree. District Judge David Nye sentenced Kraml to 30 days in jail, one year on probation and ordered him to perform 100 hours of community service and pay a $1,000 fine. The court suspended the jail sentence and entered a withheld judgment.

Despite the circumstances, the courtroom was filled with hospital employees there to support Kraml, and a hospital board member even served as one of three character witnesses, the Idaho State Journal reported.

York did not appear in court and authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest. The Attorney General's Office dismissed the cases against Behunin and Lassen, noting that although there was evidence Behunin and Lassen violated the statute, the investigation revealed they were acting solely as directed by their superiors and they cooperated fully with the Attorney General's investigation.