A Polk County man admitted Monday to stealing patient data from Florida Hospital Celebration and selling it to lawyers and chiropractors.

Dale Munroe II, 35, of Winter Haven, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information, United States Attorney Robert E. O'Neill announced.

Monroe accessed as many as 700,000 patient records in two years, with more than 12,000 patients having been identified by investigators as having their information sold. Investigators found the patients were usually contacted within a week of their accident by an attorney or chiropractor looking to increase their business.

Munroe faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison. Sentencing is set for Jan. 14, 2013.

According to his plea agreement, Munroe was hired in July 2006, at Florida Hospital Celebration. During his employment, Munroe worked as a registration representative in the emergency department, where he registered patients as they came in the main emergency entrance.

From January 2009 until his termination in July 2011, Munroe allegedly used his position to obtain individually identifiable health information about patients of Florida Hospital who had been involved in motor vehicle accidents.  Munroe would allegedly disclose that information to another conspirator, Sergei Kusyakov.

Kusyakov and other conspirators would then allegedly use the stolen information to solicit patients of Florida Hospital for lawyers and chiropractors. Kusyakov would pay Munroe for his role in providing the stolen information.  Florida Hospital has identified more than 12,000 patients whose individually identifiable health information was illegally accessed as a part of this conspiracy.

Kusyakov was arrested Sept. 21 for his role in this scheme.  On Oct. 10, he was indicted for one count of conspiracy and four counts of wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information.  His trial is set for December.

These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Insurance Fraud. They are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg.