4 Accused Of Stealing Md. Hospital Patients' IDs
BALTIMORE (AP) -- A federal grand jury has indicted a former employee of the University of Maryland Medical Center and three others in what prosecutors say was a scheme to steal patients' identities.
Officials say the indictment was unsealed Thursday following the arrests of the hospital worker, 47-year-old Kenneth Elliott McDowell, as well as 21-year-old Wendy Hinton and 54-year-old William White, all of Baltimore. Authorities are still seeking Devin Jarmal Smith, 20, of Baltimore.
U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein says the defendants have been charged with preying upon seriously ill hospital patients and their families by using their personal information to access their credit accounts and open new ones.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for conspiracy, as well as terms for other charges.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
