An employee in the U.S. Department of Education office in Chicago admitted today to snooping through student loan records of hundreds of friends, relatives and celebrities.
Charlotte Robinson, 46, of Dolton, choked back sobs as she pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Chicago to a single misdemeanor count of unauthorized computer access.
"I was just being curious. I wasn't trying to do anything wrong," Robinson told U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Cox. "I didn't think it was wrong to look at the information if I wasn't trying to gain anything."
While the records in the student loan database included personal information such as Social Security numbers, addresses and loan balances, Robinson's motive was "idle curiosity," not identity theft or some other nefarious end, according to her plea agreement.
Neither the Justice Department nor the Department of Education would disclose the names of the celebrities whose information Robinson had accessed improperly. The charges mentioned musicians and actors.
Robinson is still employed by the Department of Education, according to her lawyer, Rhonda Sallee.
Asked whether Robinson's guilty plea to the misdemeanor would mean the end of her employment, Sallee said, "I hope not."
Department of Education spokesman Jim Bradshaw said Robinson was placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday after the guilty plea and that the agency had revoked her access to confidential information.
Robinson, who is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 22, faces probation or possibly up to six months in prison.
--Andy Grimm
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