Former Hospital Employee Pleads Guilty to Criminal HIPAA Charges
Posted/updated on: September 1, 2014 at 7:48 amTYLER — U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced Friday that a former employee of an East Texas hospital has pleaded guilty to criminal HIPAA charges in the Eastern District of Texas. Joshua Hippler, 30, formerly of Longview, was indicted on March 26 on charges of wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information. Hippler pleaded Thursday during a hearing before United States Magistrate Judge John D. Love. The indictment alleged that from December 1, 2012, through January 14, 2013, Hippler, who was then an employee of a covered entity under HIPAA, obtained protected health information with the intent to use the information for personal gain. Hippler faces up to ten years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.