An American man is believed to have been behind a massive leak that made public the confidential information — including names, contact details, addresses, and medical data — of 14,200 patients in Singapore with HIV.
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), Mikhy Farerra-Brochez — a 33-year-old man who was convicted here in 2017 for fraud and possession of drugs — is behind the leak. The former polytechnic lecturer was deported after serving his 28-month jail term, but now holds the confidential medical information that he allegedly retrieved illegally with help from his boyfriend, a local doctor.
MOH confirmed today that the records of 5,400 Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, as well as 8,800 foreigners with HIV, have been leaked.
Mikhy Farrera-Brochez and Ler Teck Siang
An American citizen, Farrera-Brochez arrived in Singapore in 2008 after he got into a romantic relationship with 36-year-old Singaporean general practitioner Ler Teck Siang, whom he met online.
Diagnosed with HIV, it would not be possible to apply for an Employment Pass to stay in Singapore. Dr. Ler used his own HIV-negative blood sample and submitted it to the Ministry of Manpower under his boyfriend’s name. Farrera-Brochez cleared the application process and received the pass.
Using forged educational certificates, Farrera-Brochez managed to get a job as a lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic, teaching Early Childhood Studies and Psychology Studies.
He boasted that he could converse in eight languages, and said he was the “youngest registered psychologist in the history of the American Psychological Association.” In a 2010 interview with The New Paper, he claimed to have been enrolled in Princeton University at the age of 13.
It was only in May 2016 that he was found guilty of possession of a ketamine and cannabis mixture, and investigations revealed that his educational certificates were forged. Remanded in prison in June 2016, he served 28 months in jail and was deported upon release.
Ler was sentenced to two years in jail, but is still appealing his sentence.
The leak
Today, MOH revealed that Farrera-Brochez at some point managed to get hold of information from the HIV registry — a registry that Ler had access to during his time as MOH’s National Public Health Unit from March 2012 to May 2013.
Having been deported after completing his jail term, the information remains in his hands — what’s unclear, however, is how he is leaking out the data on the internet. MOH simply stated that the information has been “illegally disclosed online”, but officials are keeping the exact methods and details under wraps. It’s possible that the particulars are up on a website or being sold for a lot of money on the dark web.
Local authorities are now seeking assistance from their foreign counterparts to track him down, while the internet is being monitored to detect signs of Farrera-Brochez’s activities.
Ler has since been charged under the Official Secrets Act for failing to take reasonable care of confidential information regarding HIV-positive patients.
MOH was actually alerted by the police on Jan 22. that confidential information from its HIV registry had been disclosed in public. Two days later, the ministry confirmed that the leaked information matched its records up to January 2013.
Calls were made to all who were affected, according to MOH Permanent Secretary Chan Heng Kee, and counselors are on standby to render assistance. Access to the information has since been disabled, but Farrera-Brochez could still leak out the data he has in possession.
“We are sorry for the anxiety and distress caused by the incident,” said the MOH.
“Our priority is the wellbeing of the affected individuals. Since Jan 26, we have been progressively contacting the individuals to notify them and render assistance.” After attempting to contact all the HIV-positive patients in Singapore who got their data leaked out, MOH managed to reach only 900 of them. Chan noted that there was a “certain element of anxiety and distress” among those they contacted, according to TODAY.
The ministry is now appealing to the public to notify the authorities immediately if they come across information related to the incident via a hotline (6325 9220).
