Former Hospital Executive Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over $390,000 from Medical Association

            WASHINGTON - Deborah A. Morrison, a former executive at Providence Hospital, pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from her theft of $391,600 from an association of medical professionals, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Morrison, of Bethesda, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to transportation of money taken by fraud. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, she faces a likely range of 24 to 30 months in prison and a fine of up to $95,000. As part of her plea, Morrison has agreed to pay $391,600 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment. She is to be sentenced on Oct. 2, 2017, by the Honorable James E. Boasberg.

            According to a statement of offense submitted as part of the guilty plea, Morrison worked for Providence Hospital from 1978 until 2016, with much of her career in executive positions. Apart from her official work duties, since at least 2001, Morrison oversaw the bank accounts of the Providence Hospital Medical Staff, an association comprised of medical professionals at the facility. In that role, she had access to the checkbooks and reviewed the account statements.

            From December 2009 until December 2015, according to the statement of offense, Morrison wrote approximately 140 checks, totaling $391,600, from one of the association’s bank accounts containing dues payments. She endorsed the front of the checks with a signature stamp of a former President of the Medical Staff who no longer worked at Providence Hospital. She deposited all of the checks into her personal bank account.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Assistant Director in Charge Vale commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kristy Penny and Joshua Fein. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler, who is prosecuting the case.