Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing Lenox Hill Patients' Identities for Shopping Spree

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A woman has fessed up to stealing the identities of Lenox Hill Hospital patients to purchase more than $300,000 worth of designer goods.

Krystle Steed, 31, pleaded guilty Monday to five felony charges: first-degree attempted grand larceny, second-degree grand larceny, first-degree identity theft, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and fourth-degree grand larceny, according to a press release from the District Attorney's office.

Between January 2014 and February 2015 Steed used personal records stolen by her husband Kyle, a Lenox Hill employee, to assume control of credit cards and bank accounts of more than 80 patients at the Upper East Side hospital, according to the press release. Steed's husband was fired by Lenox Hill Hospital and was convicted of first-degree attempted grand larceny.

Steed was able to use patients’ names, dates of birth and social security numbers to gain access to their accounts, officials said. Once she had access, Steed would use the account information to order luxury and designer merchandise over the phone, according to the press release. Steed successfully purchased goods worth more than $300,000 and tried to make purchases worth more than $1 million from Saks Fifth Avenue.

"Stealing from those in a precarious state of health is contemptible,” said District Attorney Cyrus Vance in a statement. “Even worse, in addition to stealing from more than 80 sick patients, the defendant took over a deceased patient’s bank account in order to make fraudulent charges mere hours after the patient passed away. I commend Lenox Hill Hospital for moving promptly to shut down the scheme and working with our Office to secure justice for the victims."

Photo: Wikimedia Commons via user Daniel Case