9 Investigates alleged nepotism at Department of Health

ORLANDO, Fla. — Twenty-seven pages reveal a disturbing story about how Gerald Williams got his job at the Department of Health.

Internal Revenue Service investigators now believe Williams stole 2,200 patient identities along with another employee.

Eyewitness News learned Ruby Williams, a recruitment manager with human resources, helped him get the job.

After an employee complained in 2011, the inspector general's office investigated and found she committed three ethics violations.

PDF: Department of Health investigative report

Ruby Williams got counseling for her mistake.

"We had our doubts about why this person was being hired," Gabriel Cabrera, a retired DOH budget analyst said.

Cabrera knows something about this. He worked at the Department of Health and refused to sign Gerald Williams' hiring form.

"The paperwork did not correspond to that form so I rejected it," Cabrera said.

Cabera said he remembers the form he was supposed to sign for Gerald Williams.

Instead of it being an original like usual, it had been copied and the copy looked doctored, according to Cabrera.

"Even the date was wrong," Cabrera said.

The inspector general did not receive a complaint about the form, so that issue has not been investigated.

Ruby Williams is not facing any charges and is still working at the Department of Health.

The IRS said it will be looking into how Gerald Williams obtained his job.

The report suggests there was an air of cronyism in the department.

Statement from the Department of Health:

The Department of Health asked the Department’s Inspector General to investigate the hiring of Gerald Williams after receiving an internal complaint in 2010. The Inspector General’s office completed its investigation in 2011 and concluded that Ruby Williams’ actions had violated Department policies on ethics. As a result, Ms. Williams received a documented counseling.

Attached is the PAR you requested. The internal complaint and the resulting investigation did not include any allegation challenging the validity of the PAR.

The Department of Health makes every effort to ensure consistency and compliance in the recruitment and selection process.

WFTV