A former administrative specialist at UCLA Medical Center has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly selling information to the media from medical records of celebrity patients, according to a document unsealed Tuesday.
Lawanda Jackson, 49, was indicted April 9 on a charge of obtaining individually identifiable health information for commercial advantage. Actress Farrah Fawcett and her lawyers allege that Jackson leaked personal information about her battle with cancer to the National Enquirer and other tabloids.
The indictment refers to an unidentified national media outlet, but a source familiar with the matter confirmed that the paper was the National Enquirer.
According to the indictment, Jackson received at least $4,600 from the publication through checks made out to her husband. The agreement lasted from about 2006 until at least May 21, 2007, according to the indictment.
Jackson faces up to 10 years in prison if she is convicted of the charge. Such charges involving the disclosure of medical records are rare.
Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, said that the investigation was continuing and that additional defendants may be charged, including the media outlet involved.
Among the charges the Enquirer could face are conspiracy and aiding and abetting, said Reece Hirsch, a partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in San Francisco.
"There is a line there between the appropriate investigative role of the media versus basically inducing the hospital employee or an employee of another healthcare provider to violate medical privacy law," Hirsch said.
Cameron Stracher, senior media counsel for Enquirer parent American Media Inc., said Tuesday that he could not comment on the matter.
Fawcett and her lawyers talked to Jackson by phone Friday to encourage her to come forward and provide information about her contacts with the tabloids, according to Craig Nevius, producer of Fawcett's upcoming documentary, "A Wing and a Prayer," which chronicles the actress' fight against cancer and her efforts to protect her privacy.
Fawcett "reached out to her and said, 'You're in a lot of trouble, and you should come forward now while you can and do the right thing,' " Nevius said. "Lawanda was very nice to Farrah and said she would speak to her at some point in the future but had been advised to keep her mouth shut for now."
