Latest news with #JacksonHealthSystem
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
Data breach of personal patient info ends in firing of Miami hospital employee
More than 2,000 patients at Jackson Health System had their personal data, including names, address and medical information accessed in a lengthy breach that spanned nearly five years. The data breach was conducted by a Jackson employee who accessed the information to promote a personal healthcare business, according to Jackson Health. Miami-Dade's public hospital system announced the patient data breach Friday afternoon. Jackson Health says its internal investigation found that the 'unauthorized access' to patient records occurred between July 2020 and May 2025. The data breach included 'patient names, birth dates, addresses, medical record numbers and clinical details' but Social Security numbers weren't compromised, according to the hospital. 'Data breaches are unfortunately all too common in the healthcare industry, where sensitive information is frequently targeted,' Jackson Health said in a statement. 'In this case, Jackson became a victim of an employee who took advantage of his trusted position to access patient information inappropriately,' Jackson Health spokeswoman Krysten Brenlla declined to answer questions from the Miami Herald on the breach, including which hospital the breach occurred. Jackson said the employee who accessed the patient data was 'immediately terminated.' The hospital said it's 'cooperating with law enforcement to investigate any potential criminal violations. Patients affected are being notified.' This article will be updated.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Ex-COO of Jackson Health Foundation accused of pocketing more than $1M bonds out
Charmaine Gatlin drove all the way from Georgia to make her first appearance on Wednesday afternoon in Miami federal court, where she faced fraud charges alleging she stole millions of dollars from the fundraising arm of Jackson Health System. Gatlin, 52, the former chief operating officer of Jackson Health Foundation, said nothing as a magistrate judge set her bond at $30,000 and her arraignment for later this month. One of the bond conditions prohibits her from contacting co-conspirators and others who are not named in a grand jury indictment. Her husband, Arthur Gatlin, who co-signed the bond, accompanied her to court. After the brief court hearing, Gatlin and her defense attorney, David Howard, declined to comment. Gatlin was arrested on May 21 in a town near Savannah where she now lives. The indictment charges her with a single count of conspiring with other individuals to commit wire fraud, 26 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. If convicted, the charges carry sentences that could send her to prison for years. Gatlin is accused of directing an almost decade-long kickback scheme in which she pocketed more than $1 million from purported Jackson Health Foundation contractors and used the money to buy expensive designer items from Louis Vuitton and Gucci. She's also accused of paying a vendor to make her a rose gold-covered golf cart valued at more than $15,000 that was delivered to her Weston home in 2023. $3.6 million in 'false' invoices: indictment The indictment says that as the Foundation's COO for the past decade, Gatlin signed off on $3.6 million of 'false' invoices submitted by South Florida and Georgia contractors for goods and services that were not provided to the foundation. She authorized using foundation funds to pay an audiovisual firm, a store that sold designer goods, and an event planning company that created videos, a website and other services for a family member's softball team, the indictment says. Gatlin, who received a bachelor's degree in French from the University of Florida, has ties to several Atlanta-area civic and religious groups. According to the indictment, Gatlin had worked as a vice president at one of those civic organizations before she was hired at the Jackson Health Foundation a decade ago. The indictment says she diverted some of the money from her foundation scheme to pay for services, such as putting together annual conferences between 2019 and 2024, that benefited her former employer in Atlanta. Her former employer is not identified in the indictment, but the Miami Herald has learned its name is 100 Black Men of America, Inc., a youth mentoring organization with headquarters in Atlanta. Gatlin also listed the civic organization on her LinkedIn page, where she indicates she was senior vice president of events and operations from 2006 to 2014. 'The invoices approved by Gatlin made it falsely appear as though the Foundation or Jackson received the goods and services,' the indictment says. Six-figure salary Gatilin started working as an executive for the Foundation in 2014. Her salary as its chief operating officer ranged from $185,000 to $290,000 between 2019 and 2024, according to the indictment. Gatlin, who spent the past decade as the foundation's COO, was fired in November, according to the 20-page indictment, filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Young. Before her departure, she had risen to co-president of the foundation alongside Flavia Llizo, who is now CEO. As co-president and COO of the foundation, Gatlin oversaw financial management, budgeting and special events. 'Possible misappropriation' of funds: audit The Miami Herald reported at the end of January that an audit of the foundation showed that it was under investigation for a 'possible misappropriation' of funds. The audit said the investigation was being conducted by an independent forensic expert and law enforcement. The investigation was brought to light earlier this year by the Public Health Trust, the volunteer board appointed by the county to oversee the tax-subsidized hospital system. Though Jackson Health and the foundation work symbiotically, their finances are separate. The Herald recently requested public records related to the Foundation's audit and Gatlin's alleged misappropriation of funds, including invoices, but Jackson officials said they could not provide them because of the ongoing FBI investigation. The Jackson Health Foundation — which raised more than $9 million for Jackson Health last year — is governed by a volunteer board of directors and helps raise money for one of South Florida's largest public hospitals, Jackson Memorial. It serves as the county's public safety net hospital, providing care to everyone, indigent or not. Miami Herald staff writer Michelle Marchante contributed to this story.
Miami Herald
22-05-2025
- Miami Herald
Is a Louis Vuitton purse worth stealing from Miami's indigent and uninsured?
The crimes people will commit for a $4,350 Louis Vuitton purse or a $15,600 rose gold-colored golf cart. At least, those are the allegations in a blistering federal indictment unsealed this week in Miami that accuses former Jackson Health Foundation Chief Operating Officer Charmaine Gatlin, 52, of using her decade-long position to help herself to at least $3.6 million of the foundation's funds meant for the needy in our community. According to the indictment, Gatlin didn't just skim — she schemed. Carlos Migoya, the head of Jackson Health System, called Gatlin's actions, if true, 'despicable.' The foundation, governed by a volunteer board of directors, helps raise money to support Jackson Health System, the county's public safety-net hospital system, a taxpayer-supported community institution that provides care to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay and whether they have insurance. That worthy mission was apparently lost on Gatlin, though, who was arrested Wednesday in Georgia. She worked for the Jackson foundation from 2014 to 2024, and allegedly approved $2 million in fake invoices from a Georgia-based audio visual company for services that were never rendered. The company, in turn, kicked back $1 million directly to Gatlin, who used it to pay off her personal credit cards. Prosecutors said she even coached the vendor on how to fake the paperwork. In another instance, the feds say Gatlin arranged for vendors to buy luxury goods for her — Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Apple products — with foundation money. There's more: The indictment charges that she submitted a fake invoice to get that rose gold-colored golf cart delivered right to her Weston home — a $15,600 purchase paid for with funds meant to support the critical Jackson mission. As the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami noted in a press release about the case, as COO, Gatlin's base salary was between $185,000 and $290,000. She even signed a conflict-of-interest form banning her from making decisions that resulted in personal gain. You almost have to admire the gall. Except you don't. Because this is not a victimless crime — the money she allegedly siphoned off was meant to support Jackson's patient care and other parts of the mission. It's not just morally wrong; it's criminal if true — and not a moment of weakness, either. Gatlin allegedly pulled this off for 10 years — a sustained, calculated betrayal of her job. The indictment notes Gatlin moved from Weston to Atlanta after resigning from the foundation in November. She was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 26 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. Red flags came up in the annual financial report sent in January to the Public Health Trust, the volunteer board appointed by the county to oversee the public hospital system. But the obvious question: Where were the controls on all that money flowing out the door? If the feds are right, Gatlin ran a one-woman fraud operation under the nose of a major public institution. Jackson Health spokeswoman Lidia Amoretti-Morgado told the Herald in January that the system had 'implemented additional financial controls and administrative oversight of the Foundation, which included the restructuring of its staff.' Better late than never. We should be demanding more answers for the citizens of Miami-Dade — not just about Gatlin but about how a system this vital to Miami-Dade's well-being failed to catch millions of dollars vanishing into designer handbags and golf carts. Sadly, Gatlin's story is part of a familiar Miami-Dade pathology: Public servants who get power all too often act as though 'public service' equals a personal ATM. Prosecutors are throwing the book at her, and they should, based on their indictment. If convicted, Gatlin faces up to 20 years for each count of wire fraud, plus another 10 for money laundering. That might finally send a message. She should also be made to return every penny if she's found guilty. But that's not enough. Miami-Dade's public institutions — especially those tasked with caring for our most vulnerable — must show the public through complete transparency how they have implemented stronger oversight and protections. This indictment should be a turning point. Click here to send the letter.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Jackson Health Foundation COO accused in scheme to embezzle from nonprofit
The former Chief Operating Officer of a fundraising arm of Jackson Health System is facing federal charges stemming from allegations that she orchestrated a scheme to embezzle from the nonprofit by falsifying invoices and receiving kickbacks. Charmaine Gatlin, 52, formerly of Weston, was Jackson Health Foundation's COO from 2014 through 2024. She has been charged by indictment with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, 26 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering, the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of Florida announced in a news release on Wednesday. She was fired from her position in November 2024, Jackson Health System said in a news release Wednesday afternoon. The investigation was launched after 'financial misappropriations' were 'identified by internal staff.' Gatlin is accused of submitting false invoices to the foundation for nearly $4 million in goods and services that funded kickbacks to her and that were never given to the foundation or Jackson Health System, federal prosecutors said. The goods and services were given to Gatlin or her relatives instead, or were given to an Atlanta-based civic organization that prosecutors did not identify in the news release. The indictment alleges that Gatlin approved about $2 million in invoices to an audiovisual company based in Georgia for services that were not provided to Jackson Health Foundation, prosecutors said in the release. The vendor allegedly paid $1 million in kickbacks to Gatlin, who told the vendor in email how to falsify invoices, according to the news release. She used some of the money to pay her personal credit card bill. Gatlin is also accused of falsifying invoices from a merchandise vendor who bought her gifts from designer brands Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Apple, at her request, prosecutors said. She submitted a false invoice to the foundation to cover buying a new rose gold-colored golf cart that was delivered to her home in Weston in September 2023. Federal court records and attorney information were not available Wednesday afternoon. 'These stolen funds aren't just numbers on a ledger — they represent critical dollars meant to support our patients' lifesaving care, construction of our facilities, and the mission that defines Jackson,' said Carlos A. Migoya, CEO of Jackson Health System, in the hospital system's news release. Jackson Health System said in the news release that they have been cooperating with federal authorities and prosecutors. 'Following a restructuring of Foundation leadership in 2024, Jackson discovered the misappropriation of Foundation funds and immediately reported it to law enforcement,' the news release said. 'Jackson has worked closely with federal authorities throughout every step of this investigation. At the same time, Jackson Health System implemented additional financial controls and administrative oversight of the Foundation.' The foundation is a private fundraising arm of the Miami-Dade County nonprofit hospital system, according to its website. A volunteer board of directors governs the organization that is 'committed to philanthropic activities that benefit the medical programs and services at JHS.' Jackson's funding comes from philanthropic contributions, sales taxes and federal government programs, among other sources. While COO, Gatlin was paid a base salary ranging from $185,000 to $290,000 and signed a conflict-of-interest form with the foundation that prevented her 'from making decisions that resulted in personal gain,' federal prosecutors said. This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former Jackson Health Foundation COO accused in scheme to embezzle from nonprofit
The former Chief Operating Officer of a fundraising arm of Jackson Health System is facing federal charges stemming from allegations that she orchestrated a scheme to embezzle from the nonprofit by falsifying invoices and receiving kickbacks. Charmaine Gatlin, 52, formerly of Weston, was Jackson Health Foundation's COO from 2014 through 2024. She has been charged by indictment with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, 26 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering, the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of Florida announced in a news release on Wednesday. She was fired from her position in November 2024, Jackson Health System said in a news release Wednesday afternoon. The investigation was launched after 'financial misappropriations' were 'identified by internal staff.' Gatlin is accused of submitting false invoices to the foundation for nearly $4 million in goods and services that funded kickbacks to her and that were never given to the foundation or Jackson Health System, federal prosecutors said. The goods and services were given to Gatlin or her relatives instead, or were given to an Atlanta-based civic organization that prosecutors did not identify in the news release. The indictment alleges that Gatlin approved about $2 million in invoices to an audiovisual company based in Georgia for services that were not provided to Jackson Health Foundation, prosecutors said in the release. The vendor allegedly paid $1 million in kickbacks to Gatlin, who told the vendor in email how to falsify invoices, according to the news release. She used some of the money to pay her personal credit card bill. Gatlin is also accused of falsifying invoices from a merchandise vendor who bought her gifts from designer brands Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Apple, at her request, prosecutors said. She submitted a false invoice to the foundation to cover buying a new rose gold-colored golf cart that was delivered to her home in Weston in September 2023. Federal court records and attorney information were not available Wednesday afternoon. 'These stolen funds aren't just numbers on a ledger — they represent critical dollars meant to support our patients' lifesaving care, construction of our facilities, and the mission that defines Jackson,' said Carlos A. Migoya, CEO of Jackson Health System, in the hospital system's news release. Jackson Health System said in the news release that they have been cooperating with federal authorities and prosecutors. 'Following a restructuring of Foundation leadership in 2024, Jackson discovered the misappropriation of Foundation funds and immediately reported it to law enforcement,' the news release said. 'Jackson has worked closely with federal authorities throughout every step of this investigation. At the same time, Jackson Health System implemented additional financial controls and administrative oversight of the Foundation.' The foundation is a private fundraising arm of the Miami-Dade County nonprofit hospital system, according to its website. A volunteer board of directors governs the organization that is 'committed to philanthropic activities that benefit the medical programs and services at JHS.' Jackson's funding comes from philanthropic contributions, sales taxes and federal government programs, among other sources. While COO, Gatlin was paid a base salary ranging from $185,000 to $290,000 and signed a conflict-of-interest form with the foundation that prevented her 'from making decisions that resulted in personal gain,' federal prosecutors said. This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
