Altoona Mirror reports on a case of insider wrongdoing:
A medical assistant has been arrested on charges related to stealing patient information for personal use.
Ashley Latimer, 34, of Philadelphia, used information she collected from patient records and licenses to open credit cards, purchase items and lease apartments, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a news release.
Read more at Altoona Mirror.
The text of the AG’s full press release of November 10 follows:
HARRISBURG – Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced today that a medical assistant has been arrested for charges related to stealing patient information for personal use. The defendant, Ashley Latimer, 34, of Philadelphia, used information she collected from patient records and licenses to open credit cards, purchase items, and lease apartments.
“This defendant is accused of taking advantage of her position and violating her trust and responsibility as a medical professional,” said AG Shapiro. “We will not, under any circumstance, allow individuals to put patients at risk and compromise our Commonwealth’s health care systems.”
An investigation by the Office of Attorney General found that Latimer used her cell phone to take photos of patient information forms and licenses while working at Axia Women’s Health in Montgomery County. She then used this information to open credit cards and spend more than $31,000 on purchases from Wayfair, an online furniture company, among other things.
Latimer is charged with 27 counts of Identity Theft, seven counts of Theft, four counts of Computer Theft and one count of Forgery.
This case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Katherine McDermott. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.