Rebekah Jones, the Florida Department of Health data analyst-turned-whistleblower who in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic accused Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration of manipulating data on the disease, reached an agreement with state prosecutors to dismiss criminal hacking charges under the condition that she admits she was guilty.
Jones had been facing a third-degree felony charge of an offense against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks, and electronic devices, and the agreement in the case was reached in an agreement signed last week, The Miami Herald reported.
According to the court document, further prosecution against Jones is being deferred for two years and is conditioned on her meeting several terms, including seeing a licensed mental-health professional chosen by the state, admitting her guilt, performing 150 hours of community service at a minimum rate of 13 hours a week, and holding a job.
If she violates the conditions, the state's attorney will have the right to either revoke or modify the conditions of the deferred prosecution.
Jones was charged after police searched her home in December 2020, discovering that her electronic records suggested she sent out a message to 1,750 people and saved downloaded confidential data to her electronic devices, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
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