Hospital Records Stolen, Stashed in Denver Storage Facility
When one enters a hospital, he or she expects to be cured.
But dozens of patients at St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver, CO received insult in addition to injury when their records were stolen and stashed away at a local storage unit.
Channel 9 News reporters say Brandon Michael visited his rented storage unit on New Year’s Day, 2009 to sort through what should have been “tools, laptops and furniture,” which the Denver resident was planning to sell at auction on ebay.
But instead, he found hundreds of pieces of identification—including Social Security cards and birth certificates—stashed in cabinets and trash bags.
Hospital Records are Found
Some of the documents found in Michael’s storage door were mysterious in origin, but a large quantity of documents from St. Anthony Hospital were found amid the stuffed garbage bags and file cabinets, reporters say.
The hospital records included proprietary information such as former patients’ Social Security numbers and copies of their driver’s licenses–information that was already being used to wipe out some of the innocent individuals’ bank accounts or to forge phony ID. (The full story is here.)
A Good Deed is Rejected
Good Samaritan Michael immediately brought the materials to the Denver police. He was shocked at the reaction he received.
“They said they didn’t want it. They wanted me to throw it away,” Michael told reporters, adding, “They wanted me to find a dumpster for it.”
Employee is Pinpointed as Instigator
Not to be dissuaded, Michael took his story to Channel 9, who looked through the documents to uncover the records of more than 200 people, according to the news report.
Some of the documents, such as original birth certificates, had been stolen from homes during break-ins, while others led the news station to St. Anthony. The hospital discovered that the leak had been initiated by an employee.
“This particular associated was confronted…and the associate immediately confessed to the fact that they (sic) indeed had taken this information outside of our organization,” said Peter Makowski, CEO of the hospital.
Expressing regret for the incident, Makowski said the employee was fired and that investigation has been initiated via the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The hospital has tightened security, will institute more frequent audits and now offers free protection services, Makowski added.
Victims Speak Out
According to the Channel 9 report, victims of theft and ID fraud related to the storage facility documents have already been discovered. Some were St. Anthony patients, while others’ records had been stolen from their own homes.
“I’ve heard of it happening; I just never thought it would happen to me,” said Jay Melvey, whose forged signature was discovered on checks at the storage location. “It’s concerning that that it’s easy for someone to take a photocopy of a canceled check and make it look presentable.”
Timothy Cox, a Denver dad who was taken to St. Anthony’s following a car accident, said his “bank account was cleaned out”. “It was devastating,” he recalled. “Food money, mortgage money, they took it all.”
Police Get on the Ball
The culprit hasn’t yet been fingered, but possible suspects include the former owner of the storage facility, who has claimed he knows nothing of the thefts or forgeries.
Meanwhile, Denver police have commented on the initial lack of response, stating that action should have been taken immediately.
“(The request on the part of the police to throw away the evidence is) something we have to look into,” said Sonny Jackson, a spokesperson for the Denver PD. “What I do know at first blush is this is a very young officer (who) hasn’t even been on the department a year…he’s a brand-new officer, and he made a mistake.”
In the meantime, Jackson said, anyone with information that could be related to theft or fraud should always contact the police department first. “(Michael) obviously realized what was going on and he took the appropriate measures,” Jackson commented. “We want other people to come forward too.”
