Two individuals have admitted guilt in a fraud scheme that involved using personal information stolen from hospital patients to obtain pandemic relief funds. Wilkins Estrella, a former Bronx hospital clerk, and Charlene Marte pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. The two used social security numbers and other identifying data from hundreds of victims to open debit cards and tried to unlawfully acquire $1.6 million in relief funds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the New York State Department of Labor. The actual losses from their actions totaled nearly $1 million.
Estrella is also charged with the wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information after accessing and stealing data from at least 4,005 hospital patients for use in the fraudulent activities. He pleaded guilty on August 6, 2025, with sentencing scheduled for December 1, 2025. Marte pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025, and 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 filings and statements made in public proceedings, between 2020 and 2022 Estrella and Marte used stolen names, social security numbers, and other personal information belonging to hundreds of people to illegally obtain nearly $1 million in COVID-19 stimulus checks, tax refunds from the IRS, as well as unemployment insurance benefits from New York State’s labor department. They arranged for these funds—and others—to be loaded onto debit cards opened using stolen identities; these cards were mailed either directly or via family members’ addresses.
Estrella acquired much of this data while working as a business clerk at a Bronx hospital for nearly ten years until he was fired in 2020 following an internal audit that revealed improper access of protected health information related to more than four thousand patients.
Both defendants face up to thirty years in prison for conspiracy charges; Estrella faces an additional ten-year maximum sentence for wrongful disclosure charges related specifically to health information violations. Both have agreed they are jointly responsible for paying over $951,000 each in forfeiture and restitution.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG), with support from the New York State Department of Labor.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton commended those agencies’ efforts: “Mr. Clayton praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and DOL-OIG and thanked the New York State Department of Labor for its assistance in the investigation of the case.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Yumi Chong is leading prosecution efforts within the Office’s General Crimes Unit.
