US Soldier Arrested and Charged for Selling Stolen Confidential Phone Records
During a brief court hearing, Cameron Wagenius acknowledged his rights and the charges against him.
A U.S. Army soldier has been detained and charged for allegedly trafficking stolen confidential phone records, as reported in court documents made public on December 30.
Cameron John Wagenius was apprehended on December 19, according to these documents. He faces accusations of “knowingly and intentionally” selling, transferring, and attempting to sell and transfer “confidential phone records information of a covered entity, without prior authorization from the customer to whom such confidential phone records information related, and knowing and having reason to know such information was obtained fraudulently,” while in Washington state.
Although Wagenius was arrested in Texas, his case has since been moved to Washington state. There is currently no attorney listed for him on the court docket.
A representative for the III Armored Corps, stationed at Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood), confirmed that Wagenius is an active Army soldier.
“We are aware of the arrest of a Fort Cavazos soldier,” Col. Kamil Sztalkoper, the spokesperson, stated in an email. “III Armored Corps will continue to cooperate with all relevant law enforcement agencies as needed.”
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Sztalkoper directed additional inquiries to the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, which was unable to provide immediate details.
During a brief court session on December 20, Wagenius stated that he comprehended his rights and the accusations against him, expressing mental competency, as per a summary provided by the court. He waived his right to a detention hearing in Waco, facilitating the transfer to Washington state, where the federal prosecutors for his case are located.
The same prosecutors are overseeing the cases of Connor Moucka and John Binns, who face charges connected to multiple data breaches involving “billions of sensitive customer service records,” including call logs, Social Security numbers, and other personal information, as indicated in an indictment dated October 10.
Moucka, aged 25, was apprehended on October 30 at his residence in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, and is awaiting extradition to the United States.
Canada’s Department of Justice didn’t immediately respond to requests for comments concerning Moucka’s situation. Binns is currently incarcerated related to allegations surrounding a different hack that occurred in Turkey, where he was residing.
Allison Nixon, chief research officer at cybersecurity firm Unit 221B, stated that she and an unnamed colleague uncovered Wagenius’s actual identity after being threatened by Moucka’s hacking group “for no apparent reason.” She mentioned that Wagenius was part of that group.
“The speed with which law enforcement responded was the quickest I’ve observed throughout my career,” Nixon remarked. “It was truly remarkable.”
Neither the Department of Justice nor the FBI provided comments by the time of publication.
Reuters contributed to this report.
