Prominent Beverly Hills surgeon says disgruntled ex-employee stole 15,000 patients files

The theft of confidential files from a prominent Beverly Hills surgeon could affect the privacy and financial security of as many as 15,000 patients, according to a spokesman for the doctor and law enforcement officials.

A statement issued by Dr. Zain Kadri’s office said that a former staff member “stole credit card information, debit card information, IDs, copies of checks, usernames, passwords” and photographed patients before and during surgery. A spokesman for Kadri’s office, who declined to be identified, said the theft might affect patients in at least 17 states and seven countries outside the U.S.

“Despite having only recently being discovered, the breach, which affects thousands of patients, started shortly after the ... staffer was hired in September of 2016,” the statement read.

A Palmdale residence belonging to Kadri was also burglarized on May 5, according to a statement issued Thursday by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Patient files, medical supplies and electronic devices were stolen, authorities said. Kadri’s spokesman described the residence as an “administrative office” the surgeon uses when performing procedures in a Palmdale office.

“Nobody knows it’s there except for us. It’s our registered address for all business documents,” the spokesman said.

While Kadri said in the statement that he believes the break-in was carried out by the same employee, the sheriff’s department said there were no witnesses. Investigators want to question the ex-employee, who has not yet been detained, according to the sheriff’s department statement.

Calls to the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station on Friday seeking additional comment were not immediately returned.

Kadri’s office also learned recently that an Instagram account was created to host what are believed to be illegal recordings of patients during surgery. The account, which contains videos of procedures and pictures of patients, published its earliest post in January.

“These patients did not approve this,” the spokesman said. “We did not approve this.”

The employee was hired as a driver for Kadri in September 2016, but over time, began to take on additional duties. She quit in March of this year after Kadri and his staff accused her of embezzling money from the company, the spokesman said.

The spokesman said Kadri has yet to make a criminal complaint regarding the alleged embezzlement, but plans to.

Kadri was granted a restraining order against the former employee on May 1, after she began making threats, according to the spokesman. Kadri was “concerned for his safety,” the spokesman said.

Sheriff’s deputies had to remove the woman from the company’s Palmdale property on May 2, the spokesman said. During that incident, the ex-employee dropped her company phone, which was recovered by office staff, according to the spokesman.

After gaining access to the device, Kadri’s staff learned of the security breach.

“There were photographs found on the phone of everything from driver’s licenses, IDs and patient files to pictures that were extremely inappropriate of patients clothed and unclothed,” the spokesman said.

The sheriff’s department and Kadri both warned patients to check their credit history and report any suspicious activity to financial agencies.

The surgeon’s office warned patients to check with staff members before speaking with anyone claiming to work for Advanced ENT Head & Neck Surgery, Zadri’s main Beverly Hills office. Anyone concerned about their privacy should either call (310) 405-0900 or breach@AENTHNS.COM.

james.queally@latimes.com

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT for crime and police news in California.