Photo caption: In this undated photo provided March 25, 2010, by the Cook County Sheriff’s Department Shamara Bright shows off a pair of newly purchased jeans. According to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Bright was part of a identity theft ring that victim
Seven people have been arrested in Chicago in connection with an identity theft ring that allegedly used information stolen from victims’ medical records to obtain credit card information. The thieves charged more than $300,000 on the credit cards of 245 victims across the country, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said. One suspect worked for a janitorial service that cleaned the offices of the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, Dart said. She’s accused of copying information from patient records after hours and passing it to other suspects who got new credit cards in the victims’ names or had themselves added to existing accounts. Many of the victims have said they visited doctors on floors where the suspect worked. Northwestern officials said in a statement that they’re cooperating with authorities and have set up a hot line for patients who fear they’ve been victimized. "We take patient privacy and the guarding of patient identifying information very seriously and are working closely with the Sheriff’s Department to identify possible victims," Northwestern said in the statement. Members of the ring rang up thousands of dollars in electronics, jewelry, clothing and other household goods from December 2008 until recently, Dart said. Authorities said the suspects posted photos of themselves posing with stolen clothing and jewelry on their Facebook profiles. "This was one of the most blatant, organized identity theft rings that I’ve ever seen," said Tom Brady of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "The ring really had it down to a science." Four of the suspects appeared in bond court Thursday on theft and other financial charges, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. Office spokesman Andy Conklin said he didn’t know who was representing the women. They are: Shikila Blount, 29, of Chicago, who’s charged with organizing a continuing financial criminal enterprise and is being held on $200,000 bond; Tangie Strickland, 18, who’s being held on $30,000 bond for theft; Shamara Bright, 22, of Chicago, who’s being held on $90,000 bond for theft; and 20-year-old Dorothy Brown of Harvey, who’s being held on $100,000 bond on charges of continuing a financial criminal enterprise. The women are due in court again Wednesday. The other three suspects haven’t yet appeared in court. Warrants have been issued for three others, and Dart said more arrests are likely. "Today is another example for people why they need to be so vigilant, why all of us need to be very concerned about our identities, our credit histories and the rest," Dart said. "This is a rather simple plot, but it was very, very well thought out." Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. Photo caption: In this undated photo provided March 25, 2010, by the Cook County Sheriff’s Department Shamara Bright shows off a pair of newly purchased jeans. According to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Bright was part of a identity theft ring that victimized hundreds of people across the nation, charging more than $300,000 in more than 500 transactions to purchase jewelry, furniture household goods, appliances and electronics then selling all of it to friends and relatives for a cash profit. (AP Photo/Cook County Sherriff’s Dept.)