Man in Florida Hospital records breach sentenced

CENTRAL FLORIDA — Dale Munroe, the former Florida Hospital Celebration employee who sold thousands of patient records, was sentenced to a year in prison, Monday.
   
The judge made it very clear in court that he was surprised that prosecutors asked for just a 10-month sentence.

Prosecutors said Munroe cooperated, and helped them secure prosecution for two other suspects in the massive records breach.

Munroe worked in the emergency room registering patients. But federal investigators said he looked mostly for accident victims and sold their information to Sergei Kusyakov. Investigators said Kusyakov would use the information to solicit for attorneys and chiropractors.

Investigators said the hospital told them that over a two-and-a-half year period, Munroe accessed 760,000 patient records.

More than 12,000 of those patients may have had their information compromised, according to investigators.

Kay Carpenter told WFTV's Jeff Deal that she was frustrated shortly after Florida Hospital warned patients about the breach in 2011, saying she felt her information had been sold after her husband passed away.

"Naturally I was shaking, I was so angry," said Carpenter.

Munroe's crimes carried penalties of up to 15 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.

Prosecutors said because Munroe had no prior record and he cooperated, they asked for a lighter sentence.

The judge sentenced him to a year and a day in prison.

Munroe walked out of court Monday and is supposed to turn himself into the bureau of prisons in February.

WFTV learned that Kusyakov, volunteered at the hospital. Investigators said that is how he met Munroe and he was able to recruit him to steal the records.

Kusyakov entered a guilty plea last week. He's set for sentencing in March.

WFTV