BOSTON - Two men have been charged in Worcester for allegedly conspiring to access a protected computer of their former employer, a non-profit substance use and mental health treatment provider that operates recovery centers throughout Massachusetts.
Nathan Howe, 42, of Rutland, Mass., was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to access a protected computer to obtain information and cause damage and one count of intentionally causing damage to a protected computer and impairing medical treatment. Patrick Edmonds-Morin, 31, of Union, Conn., was charged by Information on May 18, 2023, with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to access a protected computer to obtain information. Howe was taken into custody on May 16, 2023 and was released on conditions of pre-trial supervision. Edmonds-Morin will appear in federal court in Worcester on June 28, 2023.
According to the charging documents, Howe and Edmonds-Morin were employed by the non-profit until April 2021 and October 2020, respectively. It is alleged that, between September and December of 2021, Howe and Edmonds-Morin conspired to access records of the non-profit’s employees, listen to and view conversations between the employees, and create and deploy a computer program designed to impede a Vice President of the non-profit’s use of the network. In November 2021, Howe allegedly accessed the computer network and transmitted a command that shut down the network for the non-profit’s Westborough campus where individuals were receiving in-patient treatment. By allegedly shutting down the network, Howe made the non-profit’s electronic medical records system inaccessible at its sites across Massachusetts, impairing or potentially impairing the medical examination, diagnosis, treatment and care of patients.
It is further alleged that, between July 2018 and November 2020, Howe and Edmonds-Morin conspired to commit wire fraud by obtaining cell phones from a cell phone provider which were intended for the non-profit’s staff and, instead, selling the cell phones to third parties for personal profit, typically in the amounts of hundreds of dollars per phone.
The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization to obtain information and cause damage, provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of intentionally causing damage without authorization to a protected computer and causing the potential impairment of medical treatment provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of conspiracy to access a protected computer without authorization to obtain information, provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Christopher DiMenna, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan O’Shea of Levy’s Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys