Healthcare hacker sentenced to 10 years in prison
A hacker responsible for 19 network breaches across the United States, including one involving a medical clinic, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday.
Robert Purbeck, 45, a native of Idaho and resident of Georgia, allegedly purchased stolen login credentials on the dark web to access the servers of a medical clinic in Griffin, Georgia. Once inside, he stole personal information belonging to more than 43,000 people, including full names, addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, according to the DOJ.
Using similar methods, Purbeck also breached the network of the City of Newnan, Georgia, including the police department’s systems, where he stole incident reports and other documents. He was able to infiltrate various agencies and individuals affiliated with the city as well.
Shortly after, Purbeck targeted a Florida-based orthodontist, where he harassed the business owner and attempted to hold data hostage for a Bitcoin ransom, the DOJ said. He also contacted the clinic’s customers via email and text as part of his ransomware extortion scheme.
These incidents occurred during 2017 and 2018. In August 2019, Purbeck’s hacking activities came to an end when law enforcement raided his home and discovered personal information of over 132,000 individuals, which he had obtained through various data breaches.
Purbeck pleaded guilty in March 2024 to two charges of intentionally accessing and stealing information from protected computer systems without authorization.
In addition to his 10-year prison sentence, Purbeck was ordered to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution of $1,048,702.98 to his victims.
The FBI’s Atlanta office conducted the investigation and led the raid on Purbeck’s home.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.