A St. John’s man has been found guilty of extortion against Eastern Health—stemming from a long-standing grievance he had over his care at the Waterford Hospital.

Trevor Curtis had been trying to get a meeting with Eastern Health about his experience at the Waterford, to no avail.

He claims his rights were violated for years and led to the loss of his business and his relationship with his kids.

Then in December of 2019, he found a USB memory stick in the Health Sciences parking lot. It held private information of patients, some of which Curtis posted on Facebook to force Eastern Health’s hand. That prompted complaints to the police and Eastern Health, but still no meeting for Curtis.

He then went to the Waterford, where he told staff he’d post more info if he didn’t get to see the “higher-ups.”

Curtis doesn’t deny any of that, calling the USB stick a “Christmas gift,” “leverage,” and his “one shot” to get someone’s attention.

It certainly did that, with Justice Kate O’Brien finding him guilty of trying to blackmail Eastern Health. She reserved her decision on the sentence, which can run from a few years to life in prison.