Former Employee Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud the Baltimore Washington Medical Center

BALTIMORE, MD—Margie L. Milisitz, age 58, of Severna Park, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Baltimore Washington Medical Center (BWMC), where Margie Milisitz was employed.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to her plea agreement, Margie Milisitz was employed by BWMC as the Manager of Telecommunications. In addition to being responsible for overseeing the purchase and maintenance of telecommunication services and equipment for BWMC, it was part of Margie Milisitz’s duties to select vendors for the various telecommunications services and equipment, issue purchase orders, as well as to review and approve invoices from those vendors for payment.

Margie Milisitz admitted that beginning in May 2005, and continuing until January 15, 2008, she and a co-defendant defrauded BWMC by submitting false invoices to BWMC for telecommunications services and equipment that were never provided to the hospital. Milisitz submitted invoices to the BWMC Accounts Payable Department, in the name of Global 1 Telecommunications and U.S. Cellular, companies associated with Milisitz’s co-defendant, indicating that the goods and services listed on the Global 1 and US Cellular invoices had been received by BWMC. This caused the Accounts Payable Department to issue payments on the invoices, which were deposited into bank accounts controlled by Milisitz’s co-defendant. Sometimes, Milisitz requested expedited processing of the false invoices and arranged to pick up the payment checks herself. As a result of this scheme, Milisitz obtained more than $380,000 from BWMC, which Milisitz and her co-defendant used for their own benefit, including paying credit card and household expenses, entertainment and travel.

Margie Milisitz faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for mail fraud. U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz has scheduled sentencing for January 11, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Kathleen O. Gavin, who is prosecuting the case.