A former employee of Auburn Community Hospital was arraigned Feb. 4 for allegedly stealing more than $80,000 in medical items and selling them on eBay.聽
According to court filings obtained by 水果派AV, an investigation by the Auburn Police Department determined that Zachary P. Tabone, 32, stole items worth a total of $83,748.06 while employed as the lead stockroom clerk at the hospital from 2021 to 2023. The items included flu tests, foam dressings and thermometer probes.
Fellow employees contacted police in December 2023 after noticing a bill of $7,611.53 on the hospital's UPS account. Tabone is accused of using the account to ship stolen items to eBay customers from Sept. 23 to Dec. 20 of that year. Employees said in the filings that they found 379 packages were shipped during that time, mostly to an address in Brooklyn.聽
The employees went on to contact some of the recipients of the packages. One is described in the filings as a pharmacy employee in Kentucky who purchased bandages from Tabone's eBay account.
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The filings also include an affidavit from the hospital's vice president of human resources, Paul Giordano, who said Tabone told him he used the UPS account for a side business shipping computers and parts. Giordano added that Tabone's last day at the hospital was Dec. 28, 2023, but he did not return there until after his scheduled shift. At that time he cleaned out his desk and threw items in the trash.
Tabone was charged July 10 with second- and third-degree grand larceny. He was arraigned on his grand jury indictment Feb. 4 in Cayuga County Court.聽
According to the court, Tabone is next scheduled for a motion argument on April 29 and remains released on his own recognizance.
In a news release, Auburn Community Hospital Chief Operating Officer Josh Alexander said its "strict fiscal controls" helped staff identify discrepancies in purchases and isolate them to Tabone.
"Because of the great work of our purchasing department, Auburn Community Hospital continues to maintain a steady supply and adequate backup of equipment and supplies needed for our patients. Our system of strict controls and checks and balances worked," he said. "We thank the Auburn Police Department for their efforts in bringing this to conclusion.鈥
Identity theft is a frustration no one wants to deal with. Thankfully the Federal Trade Commission has some ways to protect your identity. Check your credit report. You are entitled to see your credit report for free once a year. If you see anything unusual, that is a sign you need to see if your identity has been stolen. Veuer鈥檚 Keri Lumm has more.
Executive Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net.
David Wilcox
Executive editor
