A man who allegedly hacked Pittsburgh-based UPMC's databases in 2014 and stole data from 65,000 employees was arrested this week and charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Justin Sean Johnson allegedly infiltrated UPMC's human resources database and stole names, Social Security numbers, addresses and salary information of UPMC employees, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said, according to the report. Mr. Johnson then sold the data to conspirators who filed hundreds of fake tax returns for about $1.7 million in false IRS refunds.
Mr. Johnson conspired with others in South America and directed that the refunds be placed onAmazon gift cards, which the filers used to buy about $885,000 in electronics in February and March 2014. The merchandise was shipped to Venezuela, where co-conspirators sold it in online marketplaces in South America, according to the report.
Mr. Johnson was arrested in Detroit and detained by a judge in Michigan June 18. His initial hearing will be in Pittsburgh.