Based on the possibility of settling the case short of a trial, Thomas Howard Anderson, 52, and Shadd Dean Hartman, 37, both waived their right to a preliminary hearing.
Each man is charged with one count of second-degree felony theft by receiving stolen property and one count of third-degree felony unlawful possession of another's identification documents.
Defense attorney Scott Wilson told 3rd District Judge Michele Christiansen that prosecutors had offered Hartman a third-degree felony, with a recommendation for no prison time and the possibility of later reducing the conviction to a misdemeanor.
Deputy Salt Lake County Matthew Lloyd said he had also made a plea offer to Anderson.
The records - contained on magnetic tapes - were stolen June 2 when someone broke into the personal car of Perpetual Storage courier Kelly Record while the vehicle was parked outside his Kearns home.
Record was fired for violating company policy by not taking the tapes directly to the company's vault in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
A month later, on July 2, investigators recovered the tapes from Anderson, who implicated Hartman, according to charging documents. Neither man has been charged with car burglary.
Sheriff's officials said a $1,000 reward offered by the U. for return of the tapes caused the thieves to start talking and fighting over who should get the money, while yet another man called police and gave them the information.
Theft of the records raised fears that the medical patients might be at risk for identity fraud. Police and U. officials have said it was unlikely the thieves had the technical know-how to access the partially encrypted records.
