Former University of California Employee Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Obtain Online Monetary Vouchers Using Identity of Other UC Employees

SAN JOSE, CA—Cam Giang pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of wire fraud and one count of use of a Social Security number in violation of the laws of the United States, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced.

In pleading guilty, Giang, who was an employee of the University of California San Francisco Medical Center at the time of the offense, admitted that he obtained and used the personal information (i.e., birthdates and social security numbers) of other UC employees to create accounts on the StayWell Health Management, Inc. website and complete online health surveys on behalf of those individuals without their knowledge or consent.

StayWell Health Management, Inc. is a company based in St. Paul, Minn., that provides health management solutions. StayWell’s servers are located in St. Paul. Since 2009, StayWell has conducted online health surveys for University of California employees. To take part in the survey, participants are required to create an account on StayWell’s website, which requires each participant to provide his or her full name, date of birth and the last six digits of his or her Social Security number. Once that information has been verified, the participant can complete the StayWell online health survey. When a survey is completed, StayWell awards the participant with a $100 online voucher.

By completing the StayWell online health surveys without the consent or knowledge of the individuals whose personal information he used, Giang fraudulently obtained online monetary vouchers to which he was not entitled. Giang admitted that he completed approximately 382 on-line StayWell health surveys using the personal information of other UC employees.

An information was filed against Giang on May 11. He was charged with one count of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343; and one count of use of a social security number in violation of the laws of the United States, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 408(a)(8). Under the plea agreement, Giang pled guilty to the both counts.

Giang has been released on $50,000 bail. The sentencing for Giang is scheduled for Oct. 28, 2010. The maximum statutory penalty for one count of wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 is 20 years' imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution if appropriate. The maximum statutory penalty for one count of use of a social security in violation of the laws of the United States in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 408(a)(8) is five years' imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution if appropriate. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Hanley Chew is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Lauri Gomez. The guilty plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Further Information:

Case #: CR 10-00387 JF

A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can.

Electronic court filings and further procedural and docket information are available at https://ecf.cand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

Judges’ calendars with schedules for upcoming court hearings can be viewed on the court’s website at www.cand.uscourts.gov.

All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney’s Office should be directed to Jack Gillund at (415) 436-6599 or by email at Jack.Gillund@usdoj.gov.

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