Nurse, boyfriend plead guilty to ID theft at Albany Med

Suzette Guzman-Moore, left, and Emmett Woods.

A nurse at Albany Medical Center Hospital and her boyfriend have pleaded guilty to stealing patients’ identities to fraudulently apply for credit cards.

Suzette Guzman-Moore, 45, of Albany, and her boyfriend Emmett Woods, 25, of Albany pleaded guilty to identity theft and scheming to defraud, both felonies. Woods also pleaded guilty to possessing a forged instrument.

According to the district attorney’s office, the two set up a wide-reaching scheme in which Guzman-Moore would write down social security numbers and names of her patients at work.

Then, she and her boyfriend applied for credit cards and quickly used them to buy gift cards, which can be converted to cash relatively easily.

Police said they found lists with more than 100 patients’ information. They said the couple used about 60 patients’ names to apply for credit cards.

Guzman-Moore faces 5 to 15 years in prison when she is sentenced on July 24.

Woods will be sentenced on Aug. 25 and faces 7.5 to 15 years in prison.

Although Woods faces a slightly higher prison sentence, District Attorney P. David Soares was particularly critical of Guzman-Moore and “the lengths that some will go to exploit the vulnerability of others.”

“Ms. Guzman-Moore betrayed her sworn duty as a nurse and caregiver and stole the identities of the patients under her care, which was aided by Mr. Woods,” Soares said in a press release.

He added that the case highlighted the importance of regularly checking credit reports, bank statements and other documents.