Former Hospital Worker Allegedly Stole Skin Grafts in California

Gizmodo

3 days ago

A man in Southern California has been arrested for allegedly stealing from three area hospitals. But the things he stole weren't your run-of-the-mill items. The man made off with about $300,000 in surgical equipment and skin grafts, according to the Mercury News.
Jason Brauner, a 47-year-old man from San Jacinto, California, allegedly posed as a hospital employee to pilfer the highly unusual property. The Riverside County Sheriff said in a press release that Brauner was arrested on Aug. 6 and charged with commercial burglary, grand theft, and receiving stolen property.
Brauner was first identified as a suspect on July 9, 2025, after a theft of medical equipment at Eisenhower Health, a hospital in Rancho Mirage, not far from Joshua Tree National Park. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office deputies stopped Brauner's vehicle on Aug. 6 in Del Mar, just north of San Diego, according to the Riverside County Sheriff. Brauner's car allegedly had stolen medical equipment as well as stolen hospital apparel.
Needless to say, theft of skin grafts isn't the kind of thing that hospitals see on a regular basis. And it's unclear what Brauner may have planned to do with them. Ashley Davis, the communications director for the American Association of Tissue Banks, told the Mercury News, 'There's no legitimate medical market for stolen grafts. The industry takes security very seriously.'
Law enforcement got a search warrant for Brauner's home in San Jacinto and found medical supplies worth between $10,000 and $25,000, according to the Riverside County Sheriff. Brauner had allegedly been selling stolen items on Facebook and OfferUp.
Authorities say Brauner was tracked using cellphone tower data, which led investigators to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach on Aug. 6. The hospital was asked to review security footage that revealed someone stealing hospital equipment. License plate readers were then used to find Brauner's vehicle in Del Mar, according to the Mercury News.
Brauner had previously worked at the Eisenhower Health for a contractor that provided cleaning, food service, and facilities management, according to the hospital security director's statement to police. Authorities believe Brauner is responsible for other thefts at hospitals in June and July in the cities of Loma Linda and Newport Beach, California.
Brauner is being held on $100,000 bail at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio, California. The judge had initially considered bail at $50,000 until a sheriff's deputy warned Brauner could sell items online to potentially flee, according to the Mercury News.