Former Arlington resident sentenced to prison for disclosing healthcare records and trying to cover up his crimes

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A former Arlington resident was sentenced today to two years in prison for obtaining another person's healthcare information and destroying evidence in a federal investigation.

A federal jury convicted Trent James Russell, 34, on July 31. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, from 2017 to 2019, Trent James Russell, 34, was employed by an organ donation coordination entity, which allowed him access to certain electronic medical records. In Jan. 2019, Russell remotely accessed the medical records of a federal official and took a screenshot of the official's protected health information.

After Russell learned his access to the health records was disabled on Feb. 10, 2019, he formatted his hard drive two days later to destroy and alter evidence and obstruct the investigation. When FBI agents interviewed Russell on Feb. 21, 2019, Russell falsely stated that his cellphone had been stolen and provided agents with his secondary hard drive, rather than his primary operating system drive, in a further effort to obstruct the investigation.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; David E. Geist, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division; and Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zoe Bedell and Laura D. Withers prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-195.