Idaho Hacker Appeals 10-Year Sentence after Threatening Victims and Prosecutors

An Idaho man initially convicted of hacking medical offices and terrorizing victims with threats has now appealed the 10-year prison sentence he was given in Georgia. He says that prosecutors didn’t honor his plea deal, and the agreed-upon supervised release conditions were much worse.

Background

Robert Purbeck, a 45-year-old from Meridian, Idaho, used to go online under aliases such as “Lifelock” and “Studmaster.” From 2016 to 2018, he purchased access to medical entities, stole private data, and then tried to extort victims by threatening their families and children.

The FBI raided Purbeck’s home in 2019, and he was formally indicted in 2021. In 2024, Purbeck pleaded guilty to two counts as part of a plea agreement, in which prosecutors had to recommend a 70-month sentence, the lowest possible federal sentencing period for his crimes.

The sentencing

You would think that such serious accusations hanging over his head would be enough to keep him on the right side of the law. However, by the time of sentencing in November 2024, Purbeck’s new ventures worsened his situation. He filed a court document doxxing a U.S. Attorney and his family, while also making antisemitic remarks.

Although prosecutors recommended the agreed-upon 70 months, they also underlined the psychological devastation inflicted on victims.

Judge Timothy Batten rejected the plea deal’s lower-end recommendation, calling Purbeck’s actions “egregious” and “incomprehensible.” He decided to impose the maximum sentence allowed by law: 120 months (10 years), a punishment well above the 87-month guideline maximum.

“And I have been doing this 19 years. I was a trial lawyer for 22 years. And I have scarcely seen conduct that was as egregious as this we have in this case. The psychological torture that he deliberately — that the defendant deliberately inflicted upon his victims is incalculable, inestimable and overwhelming,” said the judge, according to a DataBreaches report.

The court also ordered Purbeck to pay over $1 million in restitution to nine victims.

The appeal

Purbeck raises two primary arguments. Firstly, while prosecutors recommended 70 months, they undermined the deal by simultaneously condemning his conduct. Secondly,  Purbeck was told he could use the internet with the approval of the probation officer, but the judge imposed a total internet ban.

The government has not yet filed a response to his appeal.