[BreachExchange] UPMC Database Hacker Gets Lengthy Prison Term

[Terrell Byrd]

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsburgh/upmc-database-hacker-gets-lengthy-prison-term

PITTSBURGH, PA — A Michigan man has been sentenced to seven years in prison
after hacking UPMC's human resources data base and stealing the personally
identifiable information of more than 65,000 employees of the health care
conglomerate.

Justin Sean Johnson, 30, also known as the DearthStar and Dearthy Star, was
sentenced in U.S. District Court to the maximum sentence of 60 months for
Conspiracy to Defraud the U.S. and the maximum for 24 months of aggravated
identify theft.

"Justin Johnson stole the names, Social Security numbers, addresses and
salary information of tens of thousands of UPMC employees, then sold that
personal information on the dark web so that other criminals could further
exploit his victims," Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Kaufman said in a news
release. "Today's sentence sends a deterrent message that hacking has
serious consequences."

Johnson sold the stolen information on dark web forums for use by people
who filed hundreds of false 1040 tax returns in 2014 using UPMC employee
identification information. The 1040 filings claimed hundreds of thousands
of dollars of false tax refunds, which were converted into Amazon.com gift
cards that were used to purchase Amazon merchandise that was shipped to
Venezuela.
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