At least 15 Internet phone companies were victimized, with one suffering as much as $300,000 in lost fees, prosecutors said.
Pena allegedly was able to secretly route 500,000 calls through a Newark-based provider identified in the complaint as "N.T.P.," which appears to be Net2Phone. Messages seeking comment from the company, and its corporate parent, IDT Corp., were not immediately returned Wednesday.
Pena operated two telecommunications companies, Fortes Telecom Inc. and Miami Tech & Consulting Inc., according to federal prosecutors. The companies, acting as wholesalers, sold more than 10 million minutes of Internet telephone service for as little as 0.4 cents a minute.
Pena was charged with wire fraud, which carries up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and computer hacking, which carries up to five years and a $250,000 fine. Moore faces a conspiracy charge, which could bring five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
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It was obvious it would happen soon or latter.
Agreed. It took many decades for the PSTN to become as secure as it is today. In the mean time millions of minutes were stolen.