Eric Agapito-Moreno
SECOND UPDATE: Tom Moore information added to the bottom.
UPDATE: Added photo and more information from UI Police.
IOWA CITY — A Muscatine man has been charged with first-degree theft and identity theft, after police say he used another man’s identity to obtain more than $207,000 in medical services from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from 2003 to 2010.
Eric N. Agapito-Moreno, 37, of Muscatine, was charged Tuesday with first-degree theft, identity theft and first-degree fraudulent practice.
University of Iowa Police say he used the identity of Bill Chavez, 37, to obtain medical treatment and services at UI Hospitals and Clinics from March 2003 to August 2010. Agapito-Moreno admitted to this in a written statement, police said.
The total cost of the medical services billed to the other individual was in excess of $207,000, police said.
Chuck Green, UI director of public safety, said officials don’t yet know how the identity theft went on so long if Chavez was receiving medical bills for the treatment. The two men did not know each other, as far as police know, Green said, though the investigation continues.
Police were alerted by UI Hospitals and Clinics officials this week and went to the hospital, where Agapito-Moreno was a patient, and talked to him and he confirmed his real identity, Green said.
Hospital Spokesman Tom Moore said he couldn’t comment on this specific case, due to pending legal proceedings. But he said in general, when cases involve identity theft or fraud, bills that aren’t paid are eventually sent to a collection agency after repeated attempts to contact the patient for payment. It’s often through working with the collection agency that the identity theft or fraud comes to light, Moore said. Such cases often fall under bad debt in the budget, he said.
