Two alleged identity thieves stole personal information of more than 1,000 Metro Detroit hospital patients and then schemed to receive nearly $ 500,000 in phony tax return refunds , according to the U.S. Attorneys Office . Markitta Washington , 29 , of Hampton , Georgia , previously of Farmington Hills , and Martez Lear , 29 , of Farmington Hills were indicted on multiple counts of identity theft crimes , the U.S. Attorneys Office said Tuesday . Washington , a former employee of Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and DMC Harper Hospital , allegedly took patient records and used the information to file false tax returns in other peoples names , according to Barbara L. McQuade , U.S. attorney for the Eastern District . During a search of the home Washington and Lear shared , authorities recovered the personal information of 1,400 people , including names , dates of birth and Social Security numbers . Authorities also recovered re - encoded credit cards and gifts cards . Washington and Lear are accused of filing false tax returns with the information of at least 305 victims during tax years 2011 and 2012 , receiving about $ 489,000 . Most of the refunds were received through prepaid debit cards , officials said . On Tuesday , officials with both hospitals said they were providing credit protection and monitoring for affected patients . We take very seriously the misuse of patient information , said David Olejarz , spokesman for Henry Ford Health System . The conduct of this former worker does not reflect the integrity and honesty of our more than 23,000 employees . Olejarz said the information theft was limited to 141 patients who received inpatient neurology or outpatient radiology care at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital between Jan. 1 , 2012 , and Dec. 31 , 2013 . He said the hospital has taken increased security precautions , although he did not elaborate . DMC Harper University Hospital officials were made aware of the allegations in March , said Sarah Collica , spokeswoman for the hospital . The hospital conducted an internal review and immediately revoked Washingtons access to the computer systems , officials said . The entire Detroit Medical Center takes the protection of its patients personal information very seriously , Melanie Moss , spokeswoman for DMC - Harper University Hospital , said in a statement Tuesday . Security of that information is paramount and medical center officials say they deeply regret that this situation has occurred . The majority of identity theft occurs inside of institutions such as businesses , government agencies and hospitals , said Robert Siciliano , an identity theft expert with bestIDtheftcompanys.com . Those that have access to the data are the most likely to have access to the crime , he said . Siciliano advises that everyone pay for credit monitoring . There are things ( the hospitals ) can do , Siciliano said . In the end , when you put people in a position of trust , you re hoping you can trust them . There s no such thing as 100 percent security . Washington was arrested in Georgia and will be arraigned in the Eastern District of Michigan . Lear is serving a sentence in a Michigan prison for gun - related charges . Criminals should know that while technology has made it easier than ever for them to commit identify fraud , technology is also making it easier for law enforcement to catch them , McQuade said in a statement . We are making enforcement of identity theft a high priority because this crime has become so pervasive and can be so damaging to victims . ;