Former Department of Health data analyst turned whistleblower Rebekah Jones reached an agreement with state prosecutors to dismiss the criminal hacking charges against her. As a condition of the dismissal, Jones admitted she was guilty.
Amid suspicions that Jones illegally accessed the Florida Department of Health System to send a message on the agency’s internal platform, police searched her home in December 2020. A subsequent search of her electronics suggested that she sent a message to 1,750 people, downloaded confidential data, and saved it to her devices, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Jones was later charged with an offense against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks and electronic devices, a third-degree felony. Jones officially admitted guilt as part of the Dec. 8 agreement.
This saga began in May 2020 when Jones accused Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration of manipulating COVID-19 data. After raising concerns about the lack of transparency within the agency, she said her responsibilities and duties were taken away, citing the loss of her position of overseeing the COVID-19 dashboard.
The state suspected her of gaining “unauthorized access” to an employee messaging platform to send a group text by using her old log-in credentials. The state alleged that she instructed her former employees to “be a hero” and “speak up” against COVID-19 in a Nov. 10 message.
Jones denied sending the email at the time.
Attention on Jones...
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