Suspect Steals Valley Woman’s Identity, Leaves Her With $500K Medical Debt, Sheriff Reports

12News spoke exclusively with the real Jennifer O’Connor, who said she received a bill for more than $200,000.

PHOENIX — A woman was arrested Saturday on suspicion of using a person’s identity to charge up to $500,000 in medical services, officials said.

Shannon Smith, 47, faces charges of fraud, theft, and criminal impersonation. She allegedly received medical care under another person’s name, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Court records reveal that Jennifer O’Connor informed MCSO in November 2023 about a $26,500 bill from Banner Health for medical care she never received. Other bills followed from various Valley hospitals, and the state notified her of an attempt to register her name for Arizona’s Medicaid system.

“I’m still getting bills,” O’Connor explained. “I don’t think this is ever going away.”

The most recent bill, a $300 emergency room visit, arrived at O’Connor’s door on Friday. However, she also received a bill of more than $200,000 from Honor Health for a two-night hospital stay.

“She racked up quite a bit of money,” said O’Connor. “It was crazy.”

O’Connor has contested each bill sent to her and hasn’t paid any. Yet, her workplace mistakenly deducted payments from her salary for about a year before she discovered the issue and notified them.

“They gave the money back once they learned of the mistake,” she added.

Upon contacting MCSO, investigators found that O’Connor also had a misdemeanor warrant for trespassing in Phoenix. MCSO reviewed body-worn camera footage and determined that the woman arrested wasn’t O’Connor.

The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System provided investigators with a phone number linked to the fraudulently filed application, traced back to O’Connor’s ex-husband, according to court records.

“Our suspect, Shannon Smith, dated the ex-husband of the victim, and that’s how the information was shared,” said Sergeant Joaquin Enriquez with MCSO.

“I wouldn’t think that my ex-husband would have done that with her,” O’Connor said. “Shame on them both.”

Although the ex-husband faces no charges currently, Enriquez noted that could change.

Smith reportedly faked medical emergencies during past encounters with law enforcement. This tactic allowed her to receive medical treatment and subsequently get released, further inflating bills under O’Connor’s name.

MCSO stated that Smith admitted to using the victim’s identity to receive medical care. She also allegedly provided O’Connor’s identity to police officers in Phoenix and Peoria.

O’Connor is relieved that the suspect has been apprehended but remains concerned about the lasting effects on her life.

“What scares me is they got her blood type in my medical record now,” O’Connor said. “So if anything, God forbid, happens to me, they give me the wrong blood, I’m dead.”