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Crime | Article published
Thursday, October 31, 2002
Net service
theft alleged 7 men indicted, computer equipment
seized
Seven men whose computers were seized based on
accusations that they altered modems to increase high-speed Internet
cable service were indicted yesterday by a Lucas County grand
jury.
The theft of the service - called bandwidth - from
Buckeye Express, an Internet provider operated by Buckeye
CableSystem, ended June 26 when authorities served search warrants
and seized computers and modems at residences in Toledo and
surrounding suburbs.
Toledo lawyer George Runner was among
those indicted by the grand jury. He and six others were charged
with unauthorized use of computer, cable, or telecommunications
property, a fifth-degree felony that is punishable by up to one year
in prison.
Mr. Runner, 55, of 4561 Westbourne Ct., Sylvania,
resigned as Waterville solicitor in March, 2001, after a covert
police surveillance operation videotaped him stealing coffee,
creamer, and paper from village supplies.
Also indicted were
Thomas Brady, 22, of 7213 Cloister Rd., and Richard Tetreau, 30, of
3225 Plainview Drive, both in Sylvania Township; Kevin Veres, 19, of
1323 Eastland Drive, Oregon; Brandon Wirtz, 23, of 7015 Westwind
Drive, Sylvania, and Ryan C. Dubbs, 27, of 2343 Georgetown Ave. and
Carl J. Cousino, 33, of 5935 Buchanan Drive, both in
Toledo.
Authorities also are seeking charges against two
juveniles.
Members of the Toledo police computer crimes task
force and FBI agents seized computers and modems after authorities
received information that someone in the residences had reconfigured
computer systems to access excessive amounts of
bandwidth.
The investigation into the pirating of bandwidth
began after the cable company noticed an increase in usage among
various subscribers, and went to authorities for
assistance.
Paul Shryock, vice president of information
technology at Buckeye CableSystem, said law enforcement efforts to
investigate such theft and seek the indictment are not the usual way
other companies address such activity.
"There have been no
indications that other high-speed Internet providers have taken such
firm steps to prosecute for the theft of broadband theft," Mr.
Shryock said.
In addition to criminal charges, John Weglian,
chief of the special units division of the prosecutor’s office, said
the defendants could be forced to turn over the computer equipment
taken in the search and could be ordered to pay restitution to
Buckeye.
"Cyber crime is potentially very damaging to
society. We are taking a firm position on that type of criminal
activity. We hope these cases will have a deterrent value, given the
cost factors for the defendants in successful prosecutions," Mr.
Weglian said.
According to court documents, the computer
equipment in Mr. Runner’s home was modified to increase the Internet
service as early as Jan. 1.
Jerome Phillips, a Toledo
attorney who represents Mr. Runner, said he questions whether the
accusations lodged against his client constitute a
crime.
"They paid for the service. There is a question if the
additional software counts as a crime," he said.
Mr. Runner,
a former Lucas County assistant prosecutor, left Waterville amid the
controversy over the pilfering incident, which was caught on
videotape by a hidden camera.
He was not charged, but the
village police chief, Lance Martin, resigned after he was sharply
criticized for not getting authorization before setting up the
camera surveillance.
Mike Yunker, a Sylvania police
detective, said he planned to file delinquency charges today in
Lucas County Juvenile Court against 15 and 16-year-old boys for the
altering of modems in their Sylvania homes.
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