Ashley Latimer, a former medical assistant based in Pennsylvania, has been changed in a 39-count indictment for stealing patient information for personal gain. Latimer, 34, who was previously employed at Axia Women’s Health, was charged by the Upper Moreland Police Department in Montgomery County, PA. She is alleged to have been involved in a scheme in which patients’ identities were stolen and used to obtain high-value credit cards and loans, rent apartments, and purchase expensive furniture.
While working at AFC Urgent Care in South Philadelphia, Latimer took screenshots of patient records and sent them to Gwendolyn Murray, also of Philadelphia. Latimer worked at AFC Urgent care between September 16, 2021, and December 26, 2021, at which point she was terminated on suspicion of stealing $3,200 in cash.
After leaving AFC Urgent Care, Latimer began employment at Axia Women’s Health. Here, she again had regular access to patient records and took photographs on her cell phone of patient records. These photographs were then sent to Murray, who would then use the information to create fraudulent customer accounts and use the patient’s identity to obtain credit. The accounts were created on Wayfair, Mattress Queen, Carvana, and Bob’s Discount Furniture.
After an investigation, Upper Moreland Police seized Latimer’s cell phone and found 41GB of data used during the identity-theft operation. These included photographs of patient data from Axia Women’s Health, texts with Murray, images of Experian Credit Reports, applications for red at Wayfair and Carvana, and lease applications.
Josh Shapiro, the Pennsylvania Attorney General, announced on November 10, 2022, that Latimer had been arrested for her role in the scam, during which she obtained $31,000 in fraudulently-purchased goods and credit lines. She has been charged with 27 counts of identity theft, 7 counts of theft, 4 counts of computer theft, and one count of forgery.
The Attorney General Stated: “This defendant is accused of taking advantage of her position and violating her trust and responsibility as a medical professional… We will not, under any circumstance, allow individuals to put patients at risk and compromise our Commonwealth’s health care systems.”