FBI and IRS agents arrived at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach last week to serve a warrant as part of an investigation involving possible fraud against the institution. According to the Press-Telegram, the warrant was served at 8AM on Friday and agents were reportedly looking through computer files
The Long Beach Post says that FBI spokesperson Laura Emiller confirmed that a search warrant was served for possible allegations of fraud at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, but she was unable to provide further details, noting that the search was sealed by the court. Though the nature of the possible allegations are still unclear, agencies that are also involved in the investigation include the IRS, California Department of Labor, California Department of Insurance, USPS Inspector General’s Office and the DCIS.
Given the number of agencies involved, it appears that the incident being investigated is larger in scope than the self-reported employee fraud discovered by the hospital in 2009, which was investigated by local law enforcement and the California Department of Public Health
In 2010, the hospital was fined $225,000 for a self-reported fraud incident in which an employee had obtained patients’ personal information–including names and social security numbers–and used it to open fraudulent telephone service accounts. Even though the employee was terminated from the hospital in 2009 and the hospital worked closely with law enforcement on the case, Pacific Hospital was fined by the California Department of Public Health, which alleged that the facility “failed to prevent unauthorized access.”
“Our hospital takes patient safety very seriously and has done nothing wrong,” a statement from Pacific Hospital public relations director Laura Salas said at the time. “At Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, we work diligently to serve our community by continually monitoring and improving patient safety programs and are proud of our ability to keep patient information safe from access by unauthorized persons.”
It is not known if that case is related to the current search warrant. Pacific Hospital has yet to return calls for comment.