By C1 Staff
RENSSELAER COUNTY, Pa. — A corrections officer under federal investigation for another charge has sued Rensselaer County and the sheriff for illegal access of his medical records.
The Times Union reports that Kevin Rogers, who is currently being investigated for allegedly forcing inmates to vote against re-electing Sheriff Jack Mahar in 2012, accuses the sheriff and other jail staff of illegally accessing his medical records in an attempt to terminate him for alleged sick-time abuse.
The lawsuit accuses Mahar and two jail nurses of using the hospital’s computer portal to check his medical records twice in 2006 and once in 2011.
At least six other jail officers have also filed suit, claiming that their medical records were also accessed when they had disciplinary issues or were unable to work due to illness or injury.
The county has already settled a suit by Kevin Snyder, an accountant employed at the jail for 20 years, who claimed that his medical records were accessed at the jail after he missed two days of work while being treated for high blood pressure.
Mahar previously said that he never sanctioned or directed anyone to use the hospital’s portal for employee investigations.
The privacy violations were traced to two nurses, one of whom has resigned and another facing termination.
Elaine Young, the nurse who resigned, had her computer and password used dozens of times to access private medical files of jail staff. She alleged that other jail staff may have used her password without her knowledge.
The federal investigation into Rogers is unrelated to the current suit, and accuses Rogers and another former officer of fraud and looting union dues for personal use.
Banking records show the organization’s leaders spent tens of thousands of dollars of employee dues at restaurants, strip clubs, bars, to pay cable and telephone bills, and to make contributions to political campaigns.