Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
Two individuals have pleaded guilty to charges related to a fraud scheme that involved using stolen personal data from hospital patients to obtain nearly $1 million in pandemic relief funds. The announcement was made by Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, along with officials from the FBI and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General.
Wilkins Estrella, a former clerk at a Bronx hospital, and Charlene Marte admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods. Prosecutors said they used social security numbers and other personally identifiable information belonging to hundreds of victims to open debit cards and attempt to fraudulently secure $1.6 million in COVID-19 stimulus checks, tax refunds, and unemployment insurance benefits from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the New York State Department of Labor. The scheme resulted in almost $1 million in actual losses.
Estrella also pled guilty to wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information after accessing and stealing data from at least 4,005 hospital patients for use in the fraud scheme. He is scheduled for sentencing on December 1, 2025. Marte will be sentenced on November 5, 2025.
“Wilkins Estrella stole the personal data of thousands of people, including hospital patients, and used this data along with his partner Charlene Marte to claim money that was intended to assist struggling Americans during the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Defrauding federal programs harms all New Yorkers and our Office is committed to stopping it.”
“Wilkins Estrella and Charlene Marte exploited thousands of patient records to steal almost one million dollars from various government programs,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia. “These defendants misused sensitive identifying information to perpetuate this illicit scheme and reap unlawful proceeds. The FBI remains committed to pursuing any individual who targets confidential medical information for personal enrichment.”
“Wilkins Estrella and Charlene Marte committed numerous frauds against multiple government agencies, including a scheme to defraud the New York State Department of Labor’s unemployment insurance program by misusing the stolen identities of individuals to falsely obtain benefits,” said DOL-OIG Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone. “We will continue to work with our federal and state law enforcement partners to safeguard the integrity of U.S. Department of Labor programs.”
According to court documents, between 2020 and 2022 Estrella and Marte used stolen names, social security numbers, and other data from hundreds of people—including information obtained while Estrella worked as a business clerk at a Bronx hospital—to file fraudulent claims for pandemic-related financial assistance. They arranged for these funds to be loaded onto debit cards opened under false names using stolen data; these cards were then mailed either directly or through family members’ addresses.
Estrella lost his job at the Bronx hospital in 2020 after an internal audit found he had improperly accessed protected health information belonging to more than 4,000 patients.
Both defendants face up to 30 years in prison for conspiracy charges; Estrella faces an additional maximum sentence of 10 years for wrongful disclosure of health information. They have agreed they are jointly responsible for forfeiture and restitution totaling over $950,000.
The investigation was led by the FBI with support from DOL-OIG and assistance from the New York State Department of Labor.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Yumi Chong is prosecuting the case as part of the Office’s General Crimes Unit.
