Jury seated in trial of Maryland doctors accused of giving Russia private medical records
BALTIMORE -- A jury has now been seated in the federal trial in Baltimore for an Army physician and her anesthesiologist wife who are accused of conspiring to give Russia medical information to help its invasion of Ukraine.
Maj. Jamie Lee Henry, a doctor at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, and her wife Anna Gabrielian, an anesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, pleaded not guilty earlier this month to providing medical information about members of the U.S. military to the Russian government.
Henry also garnered national attention as the first openly transgender active-duty Army officer and was profiled in 2015.
The couple met in Baltimore but currently live with their children in Montgomery County.
The jury was selected just before 5 pm Monday after a detailed process where the judge warned lawyers that finding enough jurors would be difficult.
In the end, the court settled for two alternates instead of four. Many potential jurors had strong feelings about Russia and Ukraine.
Among the questions potential jurors were asked: Do you speak Russian? Have you served in the military?
They were also asked whether their own views on the war would stop them from being impartial. One potential juror told the court she "was not a real fan of the Russians."
"I am an American," she said.
Opening statements will begin Tuesday morning.
The government's evidence includes five hours of video as the defendants met with a confidential U.S. informant. They allegedly believed the person was a Russian operative.
Defense lawyers indicated they may argue the government entrapped the doctors in a "sting operation."
The federal court initially denied reporters access to the jury selection process citing COVID-19 protocol. The judge later allowed some access as jurors were picked for the high-profile trial.
The defendants exited court hand-in-hand Monday evening.
They were released pending trial under strict monitoring but are allowed to stay in Baltimore during the trial.
The couple was arrested in September on conspiracy charges and offenses related to violating HIPAA, a federal law that protects sensitive health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge.
In a superseding indictment filed earlier this month, prosecutors allege Dr. Henry gave the informant medical notes on at least five people and prescription information from another.
Prosecutors say the two wanted to show their value to Russia. The meetings with the undercover agent are all on camera.
Defense attorneys argued Gabrielian *even noticed the camera in the first meeting with the agent.. And became afraid of Russian retaliation."
The couple's attorneys have previously told the court that both are quote "desperate to go to trial... as their lives are on hold."
