The Brief An Atlanta business owner was sentenced to four years in federal prison for his role in laundering millions stolen from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Authorities say a hacker diverted a $5.3 million hospital payment into the former accountant's bank account before he distributed the money In addition to his prison term, the defendant was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay over $682,000 in restitution



Atlanta business owner and former accountant Ronald Deabler was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday for his role in a scheme that stole more than $5 million from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

What we know:

Deabler, 66, was convicted by a federal jury in February for helping launder $5.3 million in stolen money. A federal judge ordered him to serve four years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and to pay $682,860 in restitution.

What we don't know:

It is unclear who received the cashier's checks that Deabler mailed out, or where the remaining unrecovered money went.

The backstory:

In early June 2023, an unknown hacker broke into the email system of a furniture company that works with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Pretending to be a furniture employee, the hacker asked the hospital to update its bank payment details. The new account details belonged to Deabler. On June 13, 2023, the hospital wired $5.3 million into Deabler's bank account.

Deabler, a former Certified Public Accountant, agreed to help move the stolen money in exchange for a fee. Shortly after the payment arrived, he opened a second bank account and tried to move all $5.3 million into it. The bank blocked the full transfer, but Deabler managed to move over $1 million into the new account.

He then converted about $3.5 million into four cashier's checks and mailed them to individuals and groups chosen by the hacker. Hospital staff and the furniture vendor noticed the mistake within a few days. The hospital alerted its bank, which traced the funds to Deabler. Investigators and banks were able to recover about $4 million of the stolen money.

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