A St Joseph man faces up to 20 years in prison for using evidence stolen from federal investigations in his own court battle over medical bills. Federal officials are quick to note a thorough audit of the crime lab where Byron Gorman was being trained turned up “no inconsistencies, errors, or issues.”
Gorman, 51, of St. Joseph, pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple to the charge contained in a Sept. 10, 2015, federal indictment.
In a news release, federal prosecutors say Gorman stole five blank U.S. Postal Service money order receipts from the scene of an investigation in Kansas City, Kansas.
Those blanks were contrived as evidence that Mr Gorman had paid medical bills incurred at the Heartland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph. Gorman claimed that he had submitted postal money orders to his creditors, but the payments had not posted. Gorman also used the stolen money order receipts and other fraudulent documents he created as evidence in a lawsuit he caused to be filed against his creditors.
Gorman was employed as an information technology specialist for the U.S.D.A.’s Office of Inspector General, assigned to the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory in Kansas City, Mo., where he was being trained to become a computer forensic examiner. Upon learning of the allegations regarding Gorman, the lab did a complete and thorough review of any cases which Gorman may have assisted in the examination of computer forensic evidence. No inconsistencies, errors or issues were noted with any evidence.
Under federal statutes, Gorman is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.