BEND, OR -- A Bend woman is accused of stealing patients’ personal information while she worked in the billing department of a local medical clinic. As KBND News first reported last week, a Desert Orthopedics employee was fired after her employer learned she was accused of identity theft.
Bend Police now say the investigation into 36-year-old Karleigh Joy Kelly began in January, when a Redmond resident reported more than a thousand dollars in unauthorized credit card purchases. A similar case was investigated by the Sheriff’s office. In both cases, online orders were shipped to a home on Northeast Comet Lane, in Bend, where Kelly lived.
Officers later recovered some of those fraudulently purchased items, including shoes and cosmetics. On January 29, police arrested Kelly on four counts of ID Theft, four counts of Computer Crime, one count of Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card and one count of Theft I.
Bend Police say Desert Orthopedics was cooperative and helped officers complete the investigation and "have notified other potential victims to minimize any further loss." Since Kelly's arrest, other alleged victims have come forward.
