James A. Haley Veterans Hospital Data Breach (2012)

A volunteer at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital has been accused of stealing patients identities and using that information to file fake income tax refunds of about $550,000, according to federal court documents. The scheme began on Jan. 25, 2012, when Rodriguez stole about 100 patients names and Social Security numbers from the official records of the VA hospital in Tampa, court documents said. Rodriguez gave the patients information to Mitchell, who prepared and electronically submitted fraudulent income tax returns, authorities said. Rodriguez and Mitchell then used pre-paid debit cards, loaded with the illegally obtained tax refunds, to buy merchandise and make ATM withdrawals in Tampa and north Florida, according to court records.