Married Maryland doctors accused of trying to spy for Russia face changes in new trial
By Kate Amara
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BALTIMORE, Maryland (WBAL) — The married Maryland doctors accused of trying to spy for Russia returned Monday to federal court in Baltimore.
One worked at Johns Hopkins and the other was an Army major with a high-level security clearance. Both were arrested in September 2022. The government is preparing for a retrial after the first trial at the end of May resulted in a hung jury.
There are some notable changes in the case since the last time around. Army Maj. Dr. Jamie Lee Henry got a new defense attorney, David Schoen.
“I am new to the case. (I’m) doing the best I can. I’m happy to work with a great team,” Schoen told 11 News outside the courthouse.
Hopkins anesthesiologist Dr. Anna Gabrielian faces two new felony identity theft charges.
The defense received some elements of some of the charges against both defendants. The government claims the couple offered up protected patient medical records to an undercover FBI agent who they thought was a Russian spy.
The defense said it was entrapment and that the defendants were scared, thinking they were dealing with Russian intelligence.
The judge handed the defense a partial victory when she threw out the “malicious harm” prong of counts two through nine, which narrows the path for conviction.
The judge said jury selection will start on Nov. 28, and the trial will likely take more than a week. But that’s all in limbo until the defense decides whether to seek a special security clearance to access classified material in a process called CIPA that would delay the trial. The decision is due Tuesday.
When asked whether a decision has been made on the CIPA issue, Gabrielian’s defense attorney, Chris Mead, told 11 News: “No, we haven’t. No comment. Thank goodness for free press.”
“I don’t think anything is set yet until the judge hears from us tomorrow,” Schoen said.
Mead told the court on Monday: “Our clients do not want to delay the trial. They want to go as fast as they can. Their lives are on hold.”
Attorneys declined to comment further when asked outside the courthouse.
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