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Women Plead Guilty In Hospital ID Theft Scam

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) – Two Deerfield Beach women have admitted to stealing patient information from a Boca Raton hospital so they could file fraudulent tax returns.

On Tuesday Shalamar Major, 32, and Tanisha Wright, 27, pleaded guilty to a variety of charges in Fort Lauderdale federal court. They both face lengthy prison terms at sentencing July 22.

Court documents show that Major obtained the sensitive patient data while working as a scheduler last year at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Major provided the names to Wright, who used the information to file at least 57 fraudulent federal income tax returns.

The total in refunds requested topped $306,000. Prosecutors say Wright had the money deposited directly onto debit cards that were stolen out of the U.S. mail.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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