Health care worker sentenced to 2 years for accessing Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s medical records

A erstwhile wellness attraction worker who illegally accessed nan wellness records of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg earlier she died was sentenced Thursday to 2 years successful prison.

Trent Russell, 34, of Bellevue, Nebraska, who worked astatine nan clip arsenic a transplant coordinator for nan Washington Regional Transplant Community and had entree to infirmary records each complete nan region, was convicted earlier this twelvemonth of illegally accessing wellness attraction records and destroying aliases altering records astatine a assemblage trial.

He was besides charged pinch publishing that accusation connected nan net successful 2019, astatine a clip erstwhile nationalist speculation astir Ginsburg’s wellness and her expertise to service arsenic a justness was a matter of nationalist debate.

Prosecutors said he posted nan accusation on pinch a mendacious declare that Ginsburg had already died. But nan assemblage acquitted Russell connected that count.

Ginsburg served connected nan tribunal until her decease successful 2020.

Prosecutors said Russell disclosed nan wellness records connected forums that trafficked successful antisemitic conspiracy theories, including conspiracy theories that Ginsburg was dead, but Russell’s motivations for his actions were unclear.

Indeed, Russell himself ne'er admitted that he accessed nan records, astatine 1 constituent suggesting that possibly his feline walked crossed nan keyboard successful a measurement that mistakenly called up Ginsburg’s data.

Russell’s excuses and refusal to judge work prompted blistering critiques from prosecutors, who sought a 30-month sentence.

“He offered wholly implausible excuses pinch a consecutive face,” charismatic Zoe Bedell said.

Russell’s lawyer, Charles Burnham, sought a condemnation of probation aliases location detention. He cited Russell’s activity redeeming lives arsenic a transplant coordinator and his subject grounds which included a deployment to Afghanistan arsenic mitigating factors.

“Mr. Russell has lived a softly heroic life,” Burnham wrote successful tribunal papers. He chalked up nan criminal behaviour to “being stupid.”

US District Judge Michael Nachmanoff’s 24-month condemnation , calling his crime “truly bad conduct.”

“You person made it highly difficult to understand what motivated you,” Nachmanoff said. He said Russell made matters worse by lying to investigators and connected nan witnesser stand.

“You chose to blasted your cat,” Nachmanoff said.

The tribunal records successful nan lawsuit are cautiously redacted to region immoderate reference to Ginsburg, but during nan proceedings and astatine Thursday’s sentencing hearing, each sides openly acknowledged that Ginsburg was nan unfortunate of nan privateness breach.

Her position arsenic a nationalist figure, successful fact, prompted a statement astir nan severity of Russell’s crime. Prosecutors said her precocious nationalist profile, successful summation to her property and illness, made her a peculiarly susceptible victim.

“He went pinch nan Supreme Court justness who was old, who was sick, and whose sickness was a nationalist concern,” Bedell argued.

Russell’s lawyer, connected nan different hand, based on that Ginsburg’s precocious agency and nan powerfulness that comes pinch it is nan other of vulnerability.

Nachmanoff, successful issuing his sentence, said he took into relationship nan truth that Russell has a sick measurement genitor who mightiness request care. The judge noted “with immoderate irony” that nan specifications of nan stepparent’s wellness problems are nether seal.

“Why? Because it is delicate wellness accusation — a use you did not supply to Justice Ginsburg,” he said.

Russell and his lawyer declined to remark aft Thursday’s proceeding connected whether they scheme to appeal.