MIAMI, Fla. (CBS12) — Two Miami residents are facing federal charges after investigators say they spent years buying and selling stolen Medicare patient information tied to a South Florida health care network.

A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida indicted Kenia Marrero, 46, who prosecutors say led the scheme. In a related case, Joan Navarro Bruguet, 51, a former employee of a Miami-based provider referred to in court records as “Provider A,” is accused of helping supply the stolen data.

According to court documents, Marrero paid Navarro Bruguet to pull sensitive patient records from the provider’s system. Investigators say the arrangement lasted from January 2022 through February 2025. During that time, Navarro Bruguet allegedly accessed records on his work computer, took photos of the information with his cellphone, and sent them to Marrero using an encrypted messaging app.

The records included names, dates of birth, and Medicare beneficiary identifier numbers. Those numbers are key to billing Medicare and can be misused in fraud schemes. Prosecutors say Navarro Bruguet was paid about $500 for each list of roughly 100 patients.

From there, Marrero is accused of reselling the information at a much higher price. Authorities say she worked with others, including Juan Carlos Cardella, who has already been sentenced in a related case, to sell the data for as much as $7,000 per list. The buyers were allegedly involved in Medicare fraud.

In total, more than 6,000 Medicare beneficiaries had their information exposed through the scheme, according to investigators.

Prosecutors also say Marrero used the stolen data herself. She is accused of participating in a durable medical equipment fraud operation that billed Medicare more than $5 million in false claims. Court filings say more than $460,000 in proceeds from that scheme were deposited into a bank account tied to the fraudulent company.

The indictment includes details from a recorded meeting in January 2026. During that conversation, Marrero allegedly told a Provider A employee to “deny everything,” avoid talking about the scheme, and limit communication. If texting was necessary, she suggested using coded language, telling the person to:

Ask me about candles.”

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Marrero faces multiple charges, including conspiracy, health care fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Navarro Bruguet is charged with conspiracy to buy and sell the stolen Medicare numbers.

If convicted, both could face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge. Marrero could face significantly more time, including up to 10 years for each fraud-related count and mandatory additional time for identity theft charges.

Federal investigators with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI are handling the case. Prosecutors say the health care provider involved assisted authorities early and throughout the investigation.

Officials are reminding Medicare recipients to keep an eye on their records. Anyone who notices suspicious charges or activity is encouraged to report it to Medicare or federal investigators.

As with all criminal cases, the charges are only allegations. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.