Former UCLA Medical Center Worker Enters Guilty Plea for Breaches
On Monday, a former UCLA Medical Center employee pleaded guilty to selling celebrities' private medical information to the National Enquirer, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports.
Lawanda Jackson worked as an administrative specialist at the hospital for 32 years. She used a supervisor's password to access celebrity patients' medical records inappropriately.
U.S. District Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank requested that attorneys in the case not identify the patients whose medical records were breached.
Jackson faces a fine of up to $250,000 and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Â Sentencing is scheduled for May 11, 2009.
Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney, said that no charges have been filed against the National Enquirer or any other publications but that the media's role in the case remains a subject of the ongoing investigation.
The state Department of Public Health issued six reports detailing lapses in medical privacy at UCLA Medical Center after the Los Angeles Times first reported on the story in April 2008 (Mohajer, AP/San Jose Mercury News, 12/1). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.