A North Texas doctor and self-described whistleblower on pedophile medicine is facing federal charges for illegally accessing information on patients not under his care, the Department of Justice announced in a news release.
According to the Associated Press, Ethan David Haim, 34, has come forward as a whistleblower who leaked information about transgender patients at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston to conservative activists. Haim appeared in federal court in Houston on Monday, pleaded not guilty to four charges of fraudulently obtaining personally identifiable health information, and was released on $10,000 bail.
“Dr. Heim did not break the law and we look forward to his day in court,” Heim’s attorney, Ryan Patrick, said in an email. “The government has got the facts wrong.”
According to the announcement, Heim obtained personal information, including patient names, treatment codes and attending physicians, from Texas Children’s Hospital without authorization in 2023. According to the indictment, Heim was a medical resident at the hospital and requested reinstatement of expired login credentials in 2023. Heim needed access to records in anticipation of treating adults, but no such patients existed, according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, Heim obtained personal information of three patients and provided that information to media representatives, who then published it on X and other online media sites. The release of the information delayed treatment for the patients, caused financial losses to the hospital, and resulted in threats and harm to the hospital’s patients and staff, according to the indictment.
Public records show Heim has an address in Rockwall County and appears to work for Hunt Regional Medical Partners northeast of Dallas.
According to a letter sent to X by Heim’s lawyers, Heim accessed patient records in May 2023 and “disclosed” that the Houston hospital had performed “transgender medical procedures” on children even after the hospital publicly vowed to stop such procedures. At the time of the leak, such procedures were legal in Texas, but were later banned by SB14, which became law in September 2023.
However, on May 18, 2023, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a “demand for investigation” letter to Texas Children’s Hospital to investigate whether the hospital “engaged in illegal conduct” by providing gender reassignment surgery and treatment to young people.
At the time, Texas Children’s Hospital said in a statement released by the investigation that its mission is to provide quality health care to all patients.
If convicted, Haim faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
