Ex-company VP accused of sabotaging shipment of PPE

A former vice president for a medical packaging company is accused of sabotaging the shipment of personal protective equipment, officials said Thursday.

Christopher Dobbins, the former vice president of finance at Stradis Healthcare, allegedly conducted a computer intrusion on his former employer’s package system, causing a delay in the shipment of the medical equipment during the pandemic, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. He was charged Wednesday.

On March 29, Dobbins, 40, who was fired earlier in the month, accessed the package system through a fake user account he previously created while still employed, officials said in a release. 

After creating a second fake user, officials said he edited about 115,581 records and deleted about 2,371 records in the system, before deactivating both accounts. 

U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak said in a statement that Dobbins disrupted the shipment of medical supplies during a pandemic. 

“Scarce medical supplies should go to the healthcare workers and hospitals that need them during the pandemic,” Pak said. “The Department of Justice is dedicated to moving quickly on cases like this to bring criminal opportunists to justice and protect the public during these challenging times.”

Stradis Healthcare reportedly hired Dobbins in 2016 at its Peachtree Corners offices but “conflicts between Dobbins and other departments” ultimately led to him being disciplined in August and December 2019, according to FBI documents obtained by the Journal Constitution. 

The disrupted supplies were intended to go throughout the South and to the New York area. The incident cost the company at least $5,000, according to the newspaper.

“Of course we are disappointed about a former employee who caused the company immeasurable internal harm and caused some temporary delays in our shipping system, but our focus is completely consumed in working 24/7 to serve the medical community and the public during this critical time,” Stradis CEO and co-founder Jeff Jacobs said in a release obtained by the newspaper.