Rachael Michelle Rapraeger is an American radiology technologist who was born in Macon, Georgia[1] and was convicted of 10 counts of reckless conduct and 10 counts of computer fraud at Perry Hospital in Perry, Georgia. In September 2010 she was indicted for giving false mammogram results to as many as 1,289 women, 10 of who later were reported to have breast cancer. During the process, at least 2 women died. According to Rabb Wilkerson, she entered the data herself. She was sentenced to serve up to six months in a detention center, to serve 10 years on probation during which she can't work in the health care field and to pay a $12,500 fine. [2]
Trial
editDuring the trial, one of the victims accused Rapraeger of giving her a negative result in December 2009. Two months later, she discovered that she had breast cancer.[3] Rachael's defense attorney, Floyd Buford, have argued that the court had only one copy of the negative mammograms, which might make his defense harder.[4] During the same trial another woman, named Miriam Mizell, said that she had to do chemotherapy twice as a result of her initial misdiagnosis; the diagnosis Rapraeger said was negative.[1]
Conviction
editRapraeger was initially pleaded not guilty, but then was convicted by Judge Katherine Lumsden of 10 counts of reckless conduct and 10 count of computer fraud because at least 10 women under her care had breast cancer. The judge set her free on $50,000 bail[1] and then scheduled a second court date for April 2014.[5] Currently she serves a year of probation and 160 days in federal detention center.[6]
On April 17, 2014 she was found guilty, was ordered to pay $12,500 after her probation and was banned from hospital related work[7] for 10 years.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Bernard O'Donnell (November 17, 2010). "Mammogram Suspect Pleads Not Guilty". WMAZ-TV. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Leezel Tanglao, Taylor Behrendt and Harvey Goldberg (September 9, 2010). "Ex-Hospital Worker Indicted Over False Mammogram Results". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 11, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ John Newsome and Eliott C. McLaughlin (April 16, 2014). "Former hospital technician behind bogus mammogram results gets jail time". CNN. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ "Rapraeger pleads guilty, sentenced in superior court". WMAZ-TV. April 15, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Bernard O'Donnell (November 14, 2012). "Rapraeger Mammogram Case Could Go to Trial in April". Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ "GA Woman pleads guilty to mishandling more than 1,200 mammograms". WVLA-TV. April 16, 2014. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ "Rapraeger sentenced to probation for mishandling mammograms at Perry Hospital". WMGT-TV. April 16, 2014. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ George Brown (April 17, 2014). "Tech Makes Up Mammogram Results; Two Women Dead". WREG-TV. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 24, 2014.