14 DAY TRIAL // Christopher Lykes Jr., of Swansea, South Carolina, has pleaded guilty to unlawful access and use of confidential records from the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
Lykes, a former employee of the South Carolina DHHS, was arrested in April 2012 for allegedly sending over 228,000 records of Medicaid beneficiaries to his personal email account. He was charged in February 2013.
Earlier this week, the man pleaded guilty in Richland County General Sessions Court to four counts of willful examination of private records by a public official, public member, or public employee, and one count of criminal conspiracy.
All these offenses are felonies and they’re punishable by up to five years in prison, or $5,000.00 (€3,685) per count, or both.
In a separate indictment, Lykes has been accused of conspiring with another individual to commit these crimes.