Alleged Hospital Hacker Rescued by Disney Cruise Ship, Arrested

SOMERVILLE, MA - A Somerville man charged with “orchestrating” a cyberattack on a local hospital’s network was arrested Wednesday morning in Miami after his small boat near Cuba ran into trouble, federal prosecutors said.

Martin Gottesfeld, 31, has been the subject of a federal investigation in relation to his role in an attack on Boston Children’s Hospital’s network that was launched in the name of hacking group Anonymous. He was charged with one count of conspiracy, according to U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz’s office.

Gottesfeld was found to have fled Massachusetts when Somerville Police conducted a well-being check at his apartment last week. Gottesfeld and his wife had escaped to sea, near Cuba, where the couple made a distress call and a nearby Disney Cruise Ship rescued them. He was arrested when the ship returned to port in Miami Wednesday morning.

According to an affidavit unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Boston, the attack disrupted the hospital’s network for about a week and cost more than $300,000. It was launched in hopes of affecting the handling of a teenage patient who was the subject of a custody battle between her parents and the state.

Gottesfeld allegedly posted a video on YouTube in March 2014 calling for action against the hospital because of its treatment of Justina Pelletier.

The conspiracy charge has a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and restitution.