Hacker Steals Networks of Several VoIP Providers
Edwin Pena, a 27-year old computer hacker based out of Miami, recently admitted to hacking into several VoIP providers over a two year period and reselling millions of stolen minutes to the public.
The criminal activity took place between November 2004 and 2006. Edwin Pena reportedly posed as a genuine wholesaler of VoIP services and worked with Robert Moore, his accomplice, to hack into the networks of VoIP service providers and route phone calls through them.
Court records indicate that Pena ultimately sold more than ten million stolen minutes of VoIP service from fifteen different telecommunications providers. The overall value of the lost minutes is estimated to be $1.4 million.
Edwin Pena was arrested on June 7, 2006 and made a court appearance a few weeks later. He was then released on bail and proceeded to flee the country, resulting in a three-year manhunt that ended with him being found and arrested in Mexico on February 6, 2009. He has been back in the United States since October 2009.
Erez Liebermann, an assistant US attorney, released a short public statement about the arrest. He stated, "This was a sophisticated and very profitable operation. This case sends a clear message to perpetrators that they can be caught and prosecuted, and to companies that there are steps they should be taking to secure their networks."
