This incident was originally reported in April 2009, but the Associated Press provides additional details on what investigators found. Walter Healey, the former employee, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday on four counts of identity theft, unlawful possession of personal identification, tampering with public records and official misconduct..
Last year, another employee noticed irregularities in packages of documents assigned to Healey. An investigation found that many were missing pages, according to court papers.
An audit of Healey’s computer use for May through July 2008 showed him accessing the records of hundreds of taxpayers, far more than required for his job, authorities said in court papers.
Investigators who searched Healey’s home in October said they found more than 700 state tax forms containing identifying taxpayer information. They also found more than 300 birth certificates, more than 1,000 Social Security cards, credit card statements and applications, and some 2,000 notes with Social Security numbers, many accompanied by handwritten notes such as “good prospect,” “had money” and “go with this one.”