Houston - Ethan Haim, a 34-year-old former resident at Baylor College of Medicine, has found himself in hot water with the Department of Justice over allegations of unlawfully obtaining protected health information for patients not under his care at Texas Children's Hospital (TCH).

The indictment, unveiled by Alamdar S. Hamdani, accuses Haim of accessing sensitive patient data from TCH's electronic system without authorization and with the intent to harm the hospital. Haim reportedly attempted to reactivate his login credentials at TCH in April 2023 to access information on pediatric patients outside of his purview and subsequently shared the unlawfully obtained data with media contacts.

Haim took to social media to allege that he exposed a supposed "secret sex-change program" at Texas Children’s Hospital and lashed out at the Department of Justice for their pursuit of him. He further rallied support for his cause by setting up a legal defense fund and calling for individuals to join him in his fight against the DOJ.

If found guilty, Haim could face up to a decade behind bars and a substantial fine. The FBI conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tina Ansari is overseeing the prosecution of the case.

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Read the full press release from the United States Attorney's Office Southern District of Texas:

Doctor charged for unauthorized access to personal information of pediatric patients at Texas Children’s Hospital

HOUSTON – A Houston doctor has been indicted for obtaining protected individual health information for patients that were not under his care and without authorization, announced Alamdar S. Hamdani.

The case against Ethan Haim, 34, Dallas, has now been unsealed, and he is set to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Yvonne Y. Ho in Houston at 2 p.m.

The four-count indictment alleges Haim obtained personal information including patient names, treatment codes and the attending physician from Texas Children’s Hospital’s (TCH) electronic system without authorization. He allegedly obtained this information under false pretenses and with intent to cause malicious harm to TCH.

According to the indictment, Haim was a resident at Baylor College of Medicine and had previous rotations at TCH as part of his residency.

In April 2023, Haim allegedly requested to re-activate his login access at TCH to access pediatric patients not under his care. The indictment alleges he obtained unauthorized access to personal information of pediatric patients under false pretenses and later disclosed it to a media contact.

If convicted, Haim faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine.

FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S Attorney Tina Ansari is prosecuting the case.

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