Defendant Sentenced for Intentional Destruction of Data, Credit Card Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

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.