A former Northwell Health employee was charged Thursday with grand larceny after allegedly stealing medical devices valued at approximately $34,000 from his employer and selling them online, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a news release.
Rafael Hung, 42, of Queens, was charged with third-degree grand larceny and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court on June 7.
If convicted, Hung faces up to seven years in prison and the state Department of Health will determine whether or not to revoke his nursing license.
“Nurses are hardworking professionals entrusted with an essential role in our healthcare system, but this defendant allegedly betrayed that trust and stole medical devices to make a quick buck,” Singas said in the release. “Stealing from medical providers drives up the cost of care for everyone, and this prosecution sends a clear message that thefts like these are not victimless and come with serious consequences.”
Hung began working at the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset in March 2011, but he has since been terminated, according to Northwell.
In November 2016, Singas said, a Northwell Health manager learned that medical devices, including the Alaris infusion pump valued at approximately $3,500 and AccuVein vein finder valued at approximately $4,000, were being sold on eBay and shipped from an address in Oakland Gardens, Queens.
An internal Northwell investigation found the devices had been stolen from the health system, Singas said, and between Aug. 8, 2016, and Feb. 16, 2017, Hung allegedly stole the devices from the Surgical Intensive Care Unit in his backpack.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Heidi Bausk of the county’s Financial Crimes Bureau is prosecuting this case. Attempts to reach Hung’s attorney, Rex Whitehorn, were unavailing.
