Robert Purbeck, a 45-year-old resident of Meridian, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison for hacking into computer servers and attempting extortion. Purbeck accessed the systems of the City of Newnan, a medical clinic in Griffin, Georgia, and 17 other victims across the United States. He stole personal information from over 132,000 individuals.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan stated that "Purbeck’s crimes reflect the efforts of a callous and brazen cybercriminal who not only hacked into numerous computer servers and stole sensitive personal information from both private and public actors but also threatened to extort many of his victims and disclose their data."
Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, emphasized the growing threat of cyber extortion: "This sentencing is just one example of the FBI working together to hold criminals that hide behind their computers accountable, regardless of their location."
In June 2017, Purbeck purchased access to a Griffin medical clinic's server on a darknet marketplace. He used stolen credentials to access computers at the clinic and took records containing sensitive personal information from more than 43,000 individuals.
By February 2018, Purbeck had also hacked into the City of Newnan Police Department's server using similar methods. He obtained police reports and documents with personal information on over 14,000 people.
In July 2018, he attempted to extort a Florida orthodontist by demanding Bitcoin as ransom for stolen patient files. He threatened to sell this information unless paid and harassed the orthodontist with threatening communications for ten days.
The FBI executed a search warrant at Purbeck’s home in Meridian on August 21, 2019. Agents seized multiple electronic devices containing personal data from various breaches conducted by Purbeck.
Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. sentenced Purbeck to three years supervised release following his prison term and ordered him to pay $1,048,702.98 in restitution after pleading guilty on March 19, 2024.
The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Atlanta Field Office with assistance from its Boise Resident Agency. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Herskowitz, Nathan Kitchens, Alex R. Sistla from Georgia's Northern District along with Trial Attorney Brian Mund from CCIPS.
For additional details contact U.S Attorney’s Public Affairs Office via USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.
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