Robert Purbeck, 45, of Meridian, Idaho, was sentenced in November 2024 to 10 years in federal prison for hacking computer systems, stealing personal information and attempting to extort a Florida orthodontist. The U.S. Department of Justice said the stolen information involved more than 132,000 people across 19 victims.
Who is Robert Purbeck, and what was he sentenced for?
Purbeck pleaded guilty on March 19, 2024, to two counts of intentionally accessing and obtaining information from a protected computer without authorization. In November, a federal court sentenced him to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $1,048,702.98 in restitution. The sentence and case details were announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on November 14, 2024, with the release updated November 15.
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How did he access the computer systems?
The DOJ said Purbeck obtained access credentials through a darknet marketplace and used them to enter victims’ servers without authorization. In June 2017, he bought access to a Griffin, Georgia, medical clinic server and removed sensitive records. In February 2018, he bought credentials for the City of Newnan’s systems and took police reports and other documents.
How many people’s information was taken?
The DOJ said Purbeck stole personal information belonging to more than 132,000 people across 19 victims: the City of Newnan, the Griffin medical clinic and 17 other victims around the United States.
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- Griffin medical clinic: Records included names, addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers for more than 43,000 people.
- City of Newnan: Police reports and other documents contained personal information for more than 14,000 people.
The figures describe the people whose information the DOJ said was taken; the public sentencing release does not identify all 19 victims.
What happened in the attempted extortion?
In July 2018, Purbeck tried to extort a Florida orthodontist, demanding Bitcoin in exchange for the return of stolen patient files. He threatened to sell patient information, including personal information about the orthodontist’s minor child. The DOJ said Purbeck sent threatening emails and texts to the orthodontist and patients over a period of 10 days.
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How did the investigation and case proceed?
- August 21, 2019: The FBI searched Purbeck’s home in Meridian under a federal warrant and seized computers and other electronic devices. According to the DOJ, the devices contained personal information from the breaches.
- March 19, 2024: Purbeck pleaded guilty to two counts of intentionally accessing and obtaining information from a protected computer without authorization. The plea announcement is available from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
- November 2024: The court imposed the prison sentence, supervised release and restitution order.
What is established about the sentence and its effects?
The DOJ’s sentencing announcement establishes the prison term, supervised-release term and total restitution order. It does not provide a breakdown showing how restitution was allocated among victims, explain the judge’s reasoning, or identify the remaining victims. The publicly described outcome is based on the DOJ announcements; the full judgment and plea agreement are not detailed in those releases.
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