former Davie, Florida resident was sentenced to seven years in prison for intentionally damaging a protected computer belonging to his former employer and making unauthorized purchases with credit card numbers belonging to others.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the
Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G.
Greenberg of the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge
George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office made the announcement.
In April 2017, a jury convicted Jonathan Lee Eubanks, 29, of
one count of intentionally causing damage to a protected computer without
authorization, one count of access device fraud, and three counts of aggravated
identity theft. According to testimony presented at trial. After resigning from
a private security company, Eubanks repeatedly accessed his former employer’s
computer system, without authorization, using remote access software that he
had surreptitiously installed on a co-worker’s computer. The evidence showed
that through this remote access software, on Jan. 27, 2013, Eubanks deleted all
of the files on one of the company’s computer servers, including databases of
client and employee information and files necessary for scheduling and tracking
employee shifts. He also re-directed the company’s website, so that visitors to
that site were instead directed to the website of a competing security firm.
The trial evidence also revealed that the following day, Eubanks used the email
account of a former co-worker to send multiple emails in that former
co-worker’s name to the company’s employees and clients disparaging the company
and accusing it of illegal practices. Several weeks later, Eubanks placed a
series of online orders for rifle scopes, survivalist gear and electronics
using credit cards and names belonging to three other individuals, which the
evidence presented at trial showed he had obtained by accessing the computers
of another company, which made software for use by private security firms.
The Honorable James I. Cohn, Senior U.S. District Judge,
sentenced Eubanks to a total of 84 months in prison. The sentence consisted of
60 months for intentionally damaging a protected computer and access device
fraud, followed by a consecutive term of 24 months in prison for aggravated
identity theft.
The FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Louisa K.
Marion, of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property
Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared M. Strauss of the Southern District
of Florida are prosecuting the case.