NEW YORK (AP) -- A hospital said Friday that one of its employees may have stolen records containing the names, phone numbers and, in some cases, social security numbers of as many as 40,000 patients.

The scope of the theft at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan was uncovered by a federal investigation and an internal audit, the hospital said.

None of the stolen data contained private medical information, and hospital spokeswoman Myrna Manners said the hospital wasn't aware of any instance where a patient had become a victim of a financial fraud or some other scam because of the data thefts.

But a law enforcement investigation is under way and Manners said there is evidence the theft was linked to a ``larger criminal enterprise.''

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