CALIFORNIA MEDICAL RECORDS FROM STOLEN COMPUTER RECOVEREDMercuryNews.com | 05/13/2005 | Medical information on stolen computer recoveredPosted on Fri, May. 13, 2005

Medical information on stolen computer recovered

By Howard Mintz

Mercury News


A computer disc containing the records of nearly 200,000 patients of San Jose Medical Group has been recovered and a former branch manager of the group has been charged with stealing medical and financial information in one of the largest cases of such data theft in the nation.

Joseph Nathaniel Harris is accused of stealing computers and a disc that contained the records of patients of the medical group, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose. The complaint alleges that Harris stole the computers March 28, although he later told the FBI he didn't know the patient information was contained on the stolen CD until seeing news accounts of the heist.

``Harris told the interviewing FBI agents that when he read in the paper the medical information of 200,000 people was contained on the CD he almost fainted and he thought, `If this is the CD, let me smash it in a million pieces,' '' FBI special agent Deborah Amrhein wrote in an affidavit filed in court.

The theft of two Dell computers and the information prompted the physicians group to send a first-class letter to about 185,000 current and former patients alerting them the stolen material ``contained names, addresses, confidential medical information and Social Security numbers.''

The disc containing the information was recovered by the FBI, according to court papers. Officials from San Jose Medical Group could not be reached for comment Friday.

The FBI quickly focused on Harris after San Jose Medical Group CEO Ernie Wallerstein reported the computer theft in March, according to court papers.

Wallerstein told the FBI that Harris was manager of the group's McKee branch from August 2004 to September 2004 and was asked to resign after being confronted about stealing money and medication.

The FBI agent wrote that Harris, while working for the medical group, bragged about being a U.S. Army Green Beret and having a side business selling computers. He had been fired from the Silicon Valley Children's Fund after serving there as program director from August 2002 to August 2003 because he spent too much time on his side business, the FBI affidavit states.

Several weeks before the medical group's computers were stolen, the children's fund was also burglarized and two of its computers were stolen. Computers from both thefts were later offered for sale on Craigslist, an Internet bulletin board, under e-mail addresses linked to Harris, according to government documents.

Harris was arrested last month in Campbell for an alleged auto theft and was interviewed in jail by the FBI. He acknowledged that he sold computers on Craigslist and said if he was let out of jail, he could lead the FBI to the disc with the patient information. The disc was later found in his car.

``I am not sure how I got this CD,'' he told the FBI, adding, ``I think we probably know how I got it.''

The specific charge against Harris is for stealing from a ``health care benefit program, computer equipment as well as a DVD with sensitive medical information on almost 200,000 patients.''