Convict responsible for BreachForums re-imprisoned for a term of three years
In a significant move, Conor Fitzpatrick, the founder and administrator of the notorious data-selling platform BreachForums, has been resentenced to three years in federal prison. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit made this decision, overturning an initial sentence of 17 days that was deemed too lenient.
BreachForums, which emerged following the takedown of RaidForums in 2022, had over 330,000 members and was a hub for selling stolen data to the highest bidder. The platform maintained and offered access to at least 888 datasets of stolen information containing over 14 billion individual records of Personal Identifiable Information (PII).
Court documents indicate that data hosted on BreachForums included sensitive information such as bank account details, social security numbers, and usernames and passwords for various online accounts. One dataset even included details on over 87,000 members of InfraGard, an information sharing partnership between the FBI and private sector organizations.
Another concerning dataset contained the names and contact information for around 200 million users of a 'major US-based social networking site'.
In July 2023, Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud, access device solicitation, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors originally pursued a sentence of more than 15 years for Fitzpatrick, but the latest sentence is 17 days (time served) and 20 years of supervised release.
Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department's Criminal Division stated that this latest sentence demonstrates the Justice Department's commitment to bringing to justice those who sell stolen data. However, the article does not provide any new statement from Galeotti or the Justice Department regarding the case.
Fitzpatrick, who operated under the alias 'Pompompurin', admitted to running BreachForums following his arrest in March 2023. The DOJ did not provide details on the specific crimes committed by BreachForums or its administrator.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) vacated Fitzpatrick's prior sentence and remanded the case for resentencing. The article does not mention any new sentence or supervised release for Conor Brian Fitzpatrick beyond the resentenced three-year prison term.
The Justice Department has warned that it will tirelessly investigate those who commit similar crimes, emphasizing the importance of protecting sensitive data and the privacy of individuals.
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