According to testimony from an FBI agent, Trent Russell accessed Ms. Ginsburg’s medical records in 2019 when she was under the care of the hospital and posted them on 4chan, an online messaging board.
Mr. Russell faces up to 22 years in prison and potentially tens of thousands of dollars in fines if convicted on all counts at his trial in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va.
Mr. Russell has pleaded not guilty in the case and suggested to investigators during an initial interview in February 2019 that the leak might have occurred because “his cats had run across his keyboard,” according to court documents.
Mr. Russell, according to the news outlet, had access to patient records because he functioned as a contractor.
Nathan Read, who was George Washington University Hospital’s CIO at the time of the incident, said the disclosure was not authorized.
Mr. Read also testified that Mr. Russell’s access was promptly revoked once he was identified as the suspect in January 2019. However, Mr. Russell contacted the hospital’s IT help desk the next month requesting that his permissions be reinstated, but his request was denied.
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