VA Man Who Posted Justice Ginsburg's Medical Records Online Convicted

ALEXANDRIA, VA — A 34-year-old Arlington, Virginia, man was found guilty in federal court on July 31 of accessing medical information about the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and attempting to destroy evidence, federal prosecutors said.

Trent James Russell, who worked as an organ donation coordination entity from 2017 to 2019, accessed the electronic medical records remotely of a federal official and took a screenshot of the official's protected health information in July 2019, according to court documents.

The Washington Post, which first reported the story, identified the official as Ginsburg, who was being treated for cancer at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. In January 2019, Russell remotely accessed the justice's medical records and took a screenshot of her protected health information.

Russell posted the screenshot to the 4chan online message board, according to the Post.

The screenshot, which was shown in court, displayed Ginsburg's name, as well as the dates and times she received radiology, oncology and surgical treatment at the hospital from 2014 to 2018, according to the Post.

Last week, an FBI agent testified in court that the screenshot first appeared in a 4chan discussion, where some posters were using antisemitic tropes in support of a conspiracy theory that Ginsburg had died in late 2018, according to the Post. They argued that Democratic politicians were hiding the justice's death in order to prevent then President Donald Trump a Supreme Court appointment.

Ginsburg died on Sept. 18, 2020 of complications of metastatic pancreas cancer at her home in Washington, D.C.

After learning that his remote access was disabled on Feb. 19, 2019, Russell reformatted his computer two days later and tried to destroy evidence in an attempt to thwart the investigation, according to federal prosecutors. When FBI agents interviewed Russell that day, he falsely stated that his cellphone had been stolen.

Russell faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison when sentenced on Nov. 7. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.