Trial set for HIV data leak case

Published 10:45 am Thursday, May 2, 2019

A Central Kentucky man with Clark County ties is set to be tried in June for allegedly possessing personal information about thousands of HIV-positive people in Singapore.

Mikhy Farrera-Brochez was scheduled to be tried next week in U.S. District Court in Lexington. According to court documents, Farrera-Brochez’s previous attorney withdrew from the case in April citing irreconcilable differences. His new attorney requested additional time to prepare for trial.

The trial is now scheduled to begin June 3 in Lexington.

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Farrera-Brochez was indicted by a federal grand jury in March for allegedly sending two threatening emails to Singaporean officials and for unlawfully possessing personal information from Singapore’s national database of HIV-positive people.

Farrera-Brochez allegedly threatened to release information from the database to the media in the United States earlier this year.

According to court documents and news reports, Farrera-Brochez lived in Singapore from 2008 to 2016, when he was deported after serving a prison sentence for fraud and drug charges.

Farrera-Brochez is married to Dr. Ler Tek Siang, who headed the Singapore Ministry of Health’s National Public Health Unit rom January 2012 through May 2013. While in that possession, Siang had access to the national database. Singapore officials claim Siang mishandled the information, and Farrera-Brochez was able to access it.

Earlier this year, Singapore officials identified Farrera-Brochez as the prime suspect in a data leak involving personal information of about 14,200 people.

If convicted, Farrera-Brochez could be sentenced to a maximum of two years for each of the emails and up to five years for possession of personal information with the intent to commit unlawful activity.

About Fred Petke

Fred Petke is a reporter for The Winchester Sun, the Jessamine Journal and the State Journal. His beats include cops, courts, fire, public records, city and county government and other news. To contact Fred, email fred.petke@bluegrassnewsmedia.com or call 859-759-0051.

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