U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Tonya D’Agostino, a resident of Farmington, New York, has been sentenced to one year of probation for unlawfully obtaining and disclosing individually identifiable health information in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford also ordered D’Agostino to pay $13,410.42 in restitution.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn M. Hartford, who is overseeing the case, revealed that on March 23, 2023, D’Agostino sent a USPS Priority Mail parcel containing sensitive health information of four individuals to someone in Medina, New York. She did not have authorization to access or share this information and aimed to obtain $216,000 from the recipient of the parcel.
The investigation leading to this sentencing was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia and the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General under Special Agent-in-Charge Naomi Gruchacz.