A man who pleaded guilty to conspiring with five former employees of Memphis, Tenn.-based Methodist Hospital to unlawfully disclose patient information has been sentenced to five years of probation.
Roderick Harvey, 42, was sentenced to five years of probation for his role in a conspiracy to violate HIPAA, according to a Jan. 31 Justice Department news release. He was also ordered to serve one year of the probationary period in home detention and was fined $50,000.
The sentencing came after Mr. Harvey pleaded guilty to his involvement in April 2023.
Prosecutors say that between November 2017 and December 2020, Mr. Harvey paid Kirby Dandridge, Sylvia Taylor, Kara Thompson, Melanie Russell and Adrianna Taber to provide him with names and phone numbers of patients who had been involved in motor vehicle accidents. They say he then sold the information to third parties including personal injury attorneys and chiropractors.
The five former hospital employees were sentenced after pleading guilty last year to disclosing patient information to Mr. Harvey, according to the Justice Department. The sentences were as follows:
- Kirby Dandridge: One year of probation and a $2,500 fine
- Kara Thompson: One year of probation and a $3,000 fine
- Sylvia Taylor: Two years of probation
- Adrianna Taber: One year of probation and a $1,000 fine
- Melanie Russell: Time served and supervised release for six months
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, the hospital's parent organization, shared the following statement with Becker's last April: "We expect our associates to uphold the highest integrity and moral compass, and require all employees to complete HIPAA privacy training. There are serious consequences for individuals who violate privacy policies."
Becker's has reached out to the hospital and will update the story if more information becomes available.