What did Jamie Lee Henry and Dr. Anna Gabrielian do? Army major and wife charged over conspiracy to provide medical records to Russia

On Thursday, the Justice Department revealed that Jamie Lee Henry, a US Army major, and her wife have been charged over an alleged attempt to steal and send sensitive medical records of American military patients to Russia.

According to an unsealed indictment, Jamie Lee Henry, 39, and her wife, Dr. Anna Gabrielian, 36, were allegedly part of an intricate plot to pass on highly sensitive medical information to an undercover FBI agent who they believed to be working for the Russian embassy.

Both Henry and Gabrielian have been charged with conspiracy and wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information. The conspiracy is believed to be an attempt at aiding Russia in its ongoing war against Ukraine.

The indictment stated that the US Major and the anesthesiologist began to devise the plot after the Ukrainian invasion by President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. It further stated that they contacted the Russian embassy via email as well as phone to offer assistance.

The Department of Justice further explained that the couple used their security clearance at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to steal records from the military base hospital. In a press release, they said:

"According to the eight-count indictment, Gabrielian and Henry conspired to cause harm to the United States by providing confidential health information of Americans associated with the United States government and military to Russia."

It further stated:

"Specifically, the indictment alleges that beginning on August 17, 2022, Gabrielian and Henry conspired to provide IIHI related to patients at Medical Institution 1 and at Fort Bragg to an individual they believed to be working for the Russian government in order to demonstrate the level of Gabrielian’s and Henry’s access to IIHI of Americans; their willingness to provide IIHI to the Russian government; and the potential for the Russian government to gain insights into the medical conditions of individuals associated with the United States government and military in order to exploit this information."

Jamie Lee Henry and Anna Gabrielian were due to appear in court in Baltimore on September 29, charged with eight counts, including conspiracy.

If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy, and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for each count of disclosing individually identifiable health information (IIHI).

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Who are Jamie Lee Henry and Anna Gabrielian? Justice Department reveals motive behind assistance offer

In 2015, US Army Major Jamie Lee Henry made headlines for being the first openly transgender army officer. Seven years later, she is once again attracting national interest, but this time for allegedly hatching a conspiracy plot with her wife, Dr. Anna Gabrielian, to aid the Kremlin with classified information.

According to the Justice Department's indictment, while Henry initially had reservations over violating HIPAA, Gabrielian had passed along information on both current and former military officials and their family members to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian embassy employee.

Jamie Lee Henry, a Major in the United States Army, holds a secret-level security clearance. At the time of the hatching of the plot, she worked as a staff internist and was stationed at Fort Bragg. According to Gabrielian, the army officer had knowledge about:

"...how the United States military establishes an army hospital in war conditions and information about previous training provided by the United States military to Ukrainian military personnel."

As for the motive behind their actions, the couple revealed to the undercover agent that their allegiance lay with Russia. While Anna Gabrielian said she was motivated by her "patriotism" towards Russia, Jamie Lee Henry went as far as to say that she wanted to join the Russian army.

"During that meeting, Gabrielian told the UC she was motivated by patriotism toward Russia to provide any assistance she could to Russia, even if it meant being fired or going to jail...Henry explained to the UC he was committed to assisting Russia and had looked into volunteering to join the Russian Army after the conflict in Ukraine began, but Russia wanted people with “combat experience” and he did not have any."

Jamie Lee Henry's attorney said that she was released on home detention.