Ex-UCLA Worker Pleads Guilty To Selling Celebrity Medical Records

LOS ANGELES — A former employee of UCLA Medical Center pleaded guilty Monday to selling information from the medical records of celebrities and high-profile patients, including Britney Spears and Farrah Fawcett, to the National Enquirer.

Lawanda Jackson, 49, spoke quietly as she entered her plea to the felony charge of violating federal medical privacy law for commercial purposes in U.S. District Court.

She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is set for May.

Jackson and her attorney, Angel Navarro, declined to comment after the hearing.

Jackson worked as an administrative specialist at the UCLA hospitals for 32 years and in recent years began using her supervisor's password to access medical records inappropriately, authorities said.

The tabloid deposited checks totaling at least $4,600 into her husband's checking account beginning in 2006, prosecutors said. Jackson resigned in July 2007 before she could be fired.

Jackson and state officials have disclosed that records for Spears, Fawcett and California first lady Maria Shriver were among those breached.

Fawcett's attorney, Kim Swartz, said in April that the star's cancer diagnosis and details of her treatment showed up in the National Enquirer after an employee at the hospital accessed her medical records.

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U.S. attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek said that no charges have been filed against the Enquirer or any other publications, but that the role of the media is part of the investigation into the privacy breaches.

"Certainly there is possible culpability at media outlets if we can determine that they were knowingly paying for the illegal access of celebrity files," Mrozek said.

A lawyer for the Enquirer did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The Los Angeles Times first reported that UCLA employees pried into the medical records of prominent patients in April, resulting in six state public health investigation reports.

Those reports found that a total of 1,041 patients had their records inappropriately accessed at UCLA medical facilities since 2003, and that 165 hospital employees _ from doctors to orderlies _ were disciplined through firings, suspensions and warnings.

UCLA Health Systems issued a brief statement indicating the hospitals would continue to cooperate with authorities in patient privacy investigations but declined to comment on the Jackson case.

Anthony Montero, a special assistant to the U.S. attorney, said another former UCLA Health Systems employee, Huping Zhou, was indicted Nov. 17 on suspicion of inappropriately accessing 71 celebrity medical records but is not accused of selling any information.

Zhou is scheduled for arraignment this month. A man who identified himself over the telphone as Huping Zhou declined to talk to The Associated Press.

Comments

[harriettubman]

When I was in the store and saw the headline about the breach of Farrah Fawcett's illness I was livid. When someone is going thru what may be life threatening, they don't need the stress of public breeches. Plus, the privacy issue is of #1 importance.

I'm glad they came out with strict HIPAA guidelines. Health care employees may not realize that when you work in a hospital you're given a password so if you search in anyone's records on your floor or elsewhere in the hospital without the need to know, they will find you. In clinicals, students are told this the first day! How foolish of the hospital personel from doctors to aides to do this.

I wonder what hospital personel would do if their medical records were breached to the world?

[kellygrrrl]

what about the folks who BUY these photos and records?
that's like arresting all the hookers but turning a blind eye to the johns.

[glorialovelace]

They should definitely prosecute the editors of those magazines. Also the "editorial directors.­" It is the editorial directors who set those policies.

[chronic]

That tabloid that paid that worker should be charged too!!


Money is the root of all ev!l!!

[glorialovelace]

It's the editor of the tabloid who sets policy. That's the person who needs to be fined, or sent to jail. Guess who was in charge of the Enquirer and the Star during that period?

[hcbuck]

Just as this woman was wrong in accessing the information, the media outlets that reported the information are really no better. It's called supply and demand. If there wasn't some greedy avenue out there who was scummy enough to take the information, then there wouldn't have been as big an incentive to do it.

And she threw away her career and reputation for a paltry amount of money. What a fool.

[chronic]

She must need money real bad. Because if it were me and I was that foolish I would demand at least in the high six figures or seven!!!

[glorialovelace]

If you demanded that much, they'd find someone to do it for less. Hospitals are big places filled with underpaid people.

[ailbhe]

The media should be charged with this too. They have no right to illegally access private medical information!

I hope this women is never allowed to work in an environment where she can snoop on confidential information again.

[glorialovelace]

And who was Chief Editorial Director at the National Enquirer during the time that the Enquirer and other AMI magazines were bribing hospital personnel?

Just asking.