Two individuals have pleaded guilty to a multi-year fraud scheme that used data stolen from hospital patients to file false claims for pandemic-related relief funds.
Wilkins Estrella, 40, a former business clerk at a Bronx hospital, and Charlene Marte, 31, of the Bronx, admitted to conspiring to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Prosecutors said the pair used stolen personally identifiable information—including names and Social Security numbers—to open fraudulent debit card accounts and secure nearly $1 million in COVID-19 stimulus payments and unemployment benefits.
Mr. Estrella, who also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of wrongfully disclosing protected health information, accessed more than 4,000 patient records during his time at the hospital, according to an Aug. 7 news release from the Justice Department’s Southern District of New York office. He was fired in 2020 after an internal audit.
The defendants attempted to obtain approximately $1.6 million from the Internal Revenue Service and the New York State Department of Labor between 2020 and 2022, according to court documents. The actual loss totaled nearly $1 million.
Authorities said the duo had the fraudulent debit cards mailed to their homes and those of family members.
Mr. Estrella entered his guilty plea Aug. 6 before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 1. Ms. Marte pleaded guilty July 28 and is expected to be sentenced Nov. 5.
Both defendants face up to 30 years in prison on the conspiracy charge. Mr. Estrella faces an additional sentence of up to 10 years for the HIPAA violation. They have agreed to pay more than $950,000 in restitution and forfeiture.
