A married U.S. Army doctor and an anesthesiologist have been charged with conspiring to provide the Russian government with medical information about U.S. soldiers and their relatives.
Major Jamie Lee Henry received a secret security clearance, while their spouse Anna Gabrielian, a Russian-speaking person, is affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital.
They are accused of providing sensitive information to undercover FBI agents posing as representatives of the Russian embassy.
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According to the Justice Department, the FBI learned that Gabriel had volunteered aid to Russia through his embassy in Washington.
Gabriel is said to have met undercover agents in a hotel room last month — and said “she was willing to do whatever she could to Russia out of her patriotic motives for Russia, even if it meant getting fired or going to jail”.
Gabrielian told agents that she had contacted the Russian embassy via email and phone to offer Russia her and her spouse Henry’s help, the indictment said.
The indictment identified Henry as male — but in 2015 they came out as the first openly transgender Army officer.
Marcia Murphy, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baltimore, said Henry referred to himself as a male during interactions with undercover FBI agents.
Henry allegedly considered volunteering to join the Russian army after the Ukrainian conflict began, but Russia wanted people with combat experience, and Henry didn’t.
Henry allegedly added: “The way I see what’s happening in Ukraine right now is that the U.S. is using Ukrainians as a proxy for their own hatred of Russia.”
Gabrielian did express concern for her children, asking them to “have a good flight to Turkey to go on holiday because I don’t want to end up in jail with my kids hostage on my head”.
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On Aug. 31, FBI agents met with Gabrielian and Henry at a hotel in Maryland, near Washington, D.C.
The indictment alleges that Gabriel provided agents with medical information about the spouse of a Naval Intelligence employee and highlighted medical issues that Russia could exploit.
Henry allegedly provided information on at least five patients at Fort Bragg, including a retired military officer, a current Department of Defense employee, the spouse of a U.S. veteran and the spouses of two deceased U.S. veterans.
Court records show Gabrielian and Henry have been arrested – it’s unclear if they have lawyers.
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The defendants face up to five years in federal prison on conspiracy charges and up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of disclosing health information.
“We were shocked to learn this morning and intend to cooperate fully with investigators,” a spokesman for the Johns Hopkins Medicine said in a statement.