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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The attorney for one of the women accused of inappropriately accessing the personal information of 1,300 purported illegal immigrants said Wednesday that his client denies any wrongdoing.
Attorney Loni DeLand said Teresa Bassett has told him that she didn't have anything to do with the creation of the list and she doesn't know who did. The list of names was anonymously sent to law enforcement and local media, demanding that those on it be deported. However, some identified on the list have said they're in the country legally.
The public release of the list created panic among many in the Hispanic community who feared they would be unfairly targeted by immigration officials.
Each case has a file number and apparently they looked at the number of times that she and other employees had accessed those accounts. With her, the number was something like 400. But that's what she does with her job -- access those accounts all the time.
–Attorney Loni DeLand
State officials have said nearly all of the information on the list was obtained from state files at the Department of Workforce Services, which administers food stamps and other benefits. The list includes information such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, workplaces, addresses and phone numbers. Names of children are included, along with due dates of pregnant women.
DWS collects that information to determine for which benefits a person's family is eligible.
Bassett is a computer specialist who is in the process of being fired from the Department of Workforce Services. DeLand said Bassett accessed the files as part of her official duties.
"Each case has a file number and apparently they looked at the number of times that she and other employees had accessed those accounts. With her, the number was something like 400. But that's what she does with her job -- access those accounts all the time," DeLand said. "She handles incoming calls and inquiries. ...She needs to look at them and determine whether to forward that file to someone who can deal with that individual."
DeLand said Bassett doesn't remember accessing any specific cases on the list.
The other person identified in the case is Leah Carson, a temporary worker who worked in the imaging department who has already been fired. It wasn't immediately clear whether Carson had obtained an attorney.
DeLand said he has told Bassett not to have any contact with Carson.
The Utah Attorney General's Office has launched a criminal investigation into the creation and distribution of the list.
Intentionally releasing a private record in Utah is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The attorney general's office has also shared information with the U.S. Attorney's Office to determine if any federal laws were broken.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
