Southwest
DOJ unseals indictment against Texas doctor who blew whistle on gender-affirming care for minors
The Department of Justice unsealed the indictment against Dr. Eithan Haim, a whistleblower who pleaded not guilty after being accused of HIPAA violations over exposing a Texas hospital that was allegedly secretly conducting gender-affirming care on minors.
Haim, a surgeon who completed his residency at the Texas Children’s Hospital, has been indicted on four felony charges. The previously sealed indictment, filed May 29 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, accused Haim of attempting to re-activate his login credentials under false pretenses after they expired due to lack of activity.
The indictment by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani alleges that Haim “obtained unauthorized individually identifiable health HIPAA protected information on pediatric patients” and “caused malicious harm to TCH, pediatric patients at TCH and its physicians by contacting a media contact.”
Haim, who faces 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, pleaded not guilty and said he was innocent during a court appearance on Monday.
DOJ CHARGES TEXAS DOCTOR AFTER HE BLEW THE WHISTLE ON GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE FOR MINORS
Dr. Eithan Haim has been charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) after exposing gender affirming care for minors at Texas Childrens Hospital (Screenshot/X/Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
“I have maintained from day one that I have done nothing wrong. We’re going to fight this tooth and nail, stand up for whistleblowers everywhere,” Haim said, according to KHOU11 in Houston.
Haim leaked documents to journalist Christopher Rufo in May 2023 showing that the Texas Children’s Hospital continued operating its child gender clinic against state law after they claimed it had been shut down.
Rufo previously stressed that none of the documents he obtained from Haim included patients’ personal information at the clinic. However, the indictment says the Texas Children’s Hospital was harmed by the doctor’s actions.
“As a result of HAIM’S actions, TCH resulted in financial loss, medical delays in previously scheduled patients as well as threats and harm to its patients and esteemed physicians. In furtherance of his malicious intent, HAIM obtained unauthorized HIPAA protected information and intentionally contacted a media outlet to grossly mischaracterize TCH’s medical procedures in order to damage the reputation of TCH and its physicians and to promote his own personal agenda,” the indictment states.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton released an opinion in February 2022 that stated gender-affirming care for kids could be a form of child abuse under state law. The following month, Texas Children’s Hospital issued a statement saying it would stop all treatments and surgeries on children related to transgenderism.
In a piece published in the City Journal, Haim claimed that three days after the announcement, a surgeon implanted a hormone device in an 11-year-old girl who was experiencing gender dysphoria.
BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL DIRECTOR CALLS FOR DRASTIC INCREASE IN CAPACITY FOR GENDER SURGERIES FOR MINORS
Dr. Eithan Haim says the hospital was secretly continuing with gender-affirming care procedures despite claiming the program would be dissolved. (The Ingraham Angle/Screengrab)
Haim said that over the next year, the frequency of these procedures increased.
Following the May 14, 2023 story by Rufo that included Haim’s first-hand account, the Texas legislature passed a law that banned transgender medical interventions on minors.
Haim has vowed to fight the charges and suggested the DOJ is corrupt.
“They wanted to intimidate me into silence using every technique the federal leviathan had at their disposal. But they failed,” Haim wrote on X when he was initially charged. “The only way to lose is to submit to corruption. It’s time to fight back harder than ever!”
Haim’s attorney, Marcella Burke, has insisted this is government overreach.
“Our client is a mandatory reporter of child abuse who reported as a whistleblower to the State of Texas what he had seen in his hospital… this is the government going out of its way to prosecute a whistleblower,” Burke said in a statement.
Burke added when reached by Fox News Digital: “I am honored to represent Dr Haim. We received the indictment moments before his arraignment. It appears that the government has its facts wrong, they misunderstand the situation, and it’s unclear they understand how HIPAA works. Our client will have his day in court and we are going to fight these charges.”
Texas Children’s Hospital and the DOJ did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
MAHER CALLS OUT ‘WOKE EXCESS’ OF U.S. MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT: ‘AFRAID’ TO BACK DOWN ON GENDER CARE FOR KIDS
The doctor’s pregnant wife, Andrea Haim, is petrified that her husband will miss the birth of their child.
“My husband is a whistleblower and a hero, who is being targeted in a baseless political prosecution for telling the truth when Texas Children’s Hospital was hiding its transgender procedures on children. He has now been charged with four felonies. The impact of this on our family has been devastating both emotionally and financially. I am six months pregnant, and I am terrified that my husband will not be there when I give birth or for the first part of our daughter’s life,” Andrea Haim told Fox News Digital.
“But as difficult as this has been, it is a privilege to take on this fight for children and to preserve the ability of whistleblowers to tell the truth,” she continued. “We cannot do it alone.”
The Haim family said they have “spent our life savings and every penny to our name in legal fees” and have started a fundraiser to cover the legal defense.
Fox News Digital’s Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
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A man was shot and killed during a child custody exchange in Covina.
On June 9, Covina police were called to a parking lot outside Home Depot at 963 W. Badillo St. just after 6 p.m.
Several people had gathered at the location to facilitate a child custody exchange. During the meeting, as an argument erupted between two men, things escalated.
One of the men pulled out a gun and shot the other man, police said. Officers were called to the scene and, despite lifesaving efforts, the victim was pronounced dead.
The suspect was taken into custody shortly after. Footage from the scene showed the parking lot was cordoned off as officers investigated the area and spoke to the other adults involved in the child custody exchange.
No further details, including the suspect’s or victims’ identities, were released.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Covina Police Department at 626-384-5622.
Los Angeles High School was placed on lockdown Wednesday morning as police searched for three juveniles, including one believed to be armed with a handgun.
Officers responded to the area of Olympic and West boulevards around 8:15 a.m. following a report of an assault with a deadly weapon involving four minors.
One of the minors involved in the assault was believed to be armed with a handgun, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Miller confirmed to KTLA.
Los Angeles High School was placed on lockdown as police responded to the incident.
One suspect was taken into custody, but Miller said police are still searching for the three remaining juveniles and the handgun.
A perimeter has been set up around the school as officers search for the remaining suspects.
“Today, the school initiated a lockdown as we received reports of a possible weapon on campus,” a Los Angeles Unified School District spokesperson said. “We took immediate action, including notifying the Los Angeles School Police Department and Region West Operations for further investigation. The Los Angeles School Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department are conducting a search of the campus for weapons. We will provide additional information once it is available.”
No information was provided about the assault victim or any injuries sustained in the incident.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
An Orange County rideshare customer captured cellphone footage of his Uber driver seemingly asleep behind the wheel of a Tesla traveling along the 405 Freeway earlier this year.
The incident, according to the customer who reached out to KTLA, occurred March 24 while he was on a ride to Costa Mesa just before 7:30 p.m.
In the footage, the driver, wearing a coat and tie, is seen with his head resting against the headrest while remaining completely still, even as the customer moves closer with the camera.
Toward the end of the video, one of the driver’s hands appears to rest near his waist rather than on the steering wheel.
The customer told KTLA he filed a complaint with Uber but was informed he would not be able to find out whether any action was taken regarding the incident. He also said he contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which reportedly declined to accept the video evidence and told him deputies would have needed to witness the driver asleep themselves.
Videos of Tesla drivers appearing to be asleep have become increasingly common.
More recently, footage of an apparently napping Tesla driver on the 5 Freeway was captured by witnesses in southbound lanes near Camp Pendleton.
As far back as February 2023, video obtained by KTLA showed two separate drivers appearing to be asleep behind the wheel in the span of a week, one in Los Angeles and the other in Temecula.
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A rideshare customer captured cellphone footage of his Uber driver apparently sleeping while behind the wheel of a Tesla on the 405 Freeway in Orange County on March 24, 2026. (viewer image) -
A rideshare customer captured cellphone footage of his Uber driver apparently sleeping while behind the wheel of a Tesla on the 405 Freeway in Orange County on March 24, 2026. (viewer image)
KTLA’s San Francisco sister station, KRON, also obtained footage of an East Bay driver apparently asleep behind the wheel of a Tesla Model 3 on Highway 4 in March.
According to Tesla’s guidelines, drivers using the vehicle’s Full Self-Driving mode are required to remain attentive and ready to take control of the car at any moment.
In past incidents, the California Highway Patrol has told KTLA that drivers must be awake, conscious and sober to legally operate a moving vehicle.
The electric vehicle maker has been at the center of numerous controversies but remains the top-selling brand in California for the fourth year in a row. Tesla’s Model Y far outsold any other new vehicle in the state in 2025.
KTLA has reached out to Uber about the March 24 incident and is awaiting a response.
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