Guilty plea OK'd in Jackson Memorial Hospital patient records theft

After first rejecting it, a federal judge has accepted the guilty plea offered by a Miami-Dade businessman charged with pilfering patient records from Jackson Memorial Hospital to sell to lawyers for injury claims.

U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard on Monday accepted the plea of Ruben E. Rodriguez, 62, who faces up to 12 years in prison at his Sept. 20 sentencing. Lenard changed her mind after reviewing Rodriguez's presentence investigation report.

But the judge continued to reject the plea offered by Rodriguez's wife, Maria Victoria Suarez, 52, who would face up to five years. Suarez's trial was set for Nov. 8.