Jeffrey Parker, 43, a Richmond Hill man, has admitted that he created fake email addresses and concocted other information to falsely accuse a former acquaintance of committing violations of patient privacy. “Jeffrey Parker tried to portray himself as a ‘whistleblower’ while attempting to frame a former acquaintance,” said US Attorney Bobby L. Christine. “This fake complaint not only caused potential harm for an innocent victim, but it also unnecessarily diverted resources from federal investigators whose diligent work shredded his web of lies.” As outlined in court documents, Parker admitted that he “engaged in an intricate scheme” in which he contacted the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to claim that a former acquaintance had violated privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Parker created email addresses using the names of real individuals and pretended to be these individuals to make it appear as if the acquaintance committed a crime. He sent these communications to the hospital where the acquaintance worked, to the DOJ, and to the FBI. Parker then claimed to have received threatening messages in retaliation for acting as a whistleblower, prompting FBI agents to ensure his safety and quickly investigate his allegations. When an FBI agent interviewing Parker found inconsistencies in his story, Parker admitted concocting the scheme in an attempt to harm the former acquaintance.
