A couple of criminals have learned that it doesn't pay to mess around with cable equipment.
A 27-year-old Athens, Ga. man probably thought he had an airtight excuse when he was caught tampering with a cable box outside his girlfriend's apartment. Jessie Maurice Stroud told cops he was trying to fix the box because Charter Communications wouldn't answer his girlfriend's calls for service. And who hasn't been there? Problem is, Stroud's girlfriend wasn't a Charter subscriber and Stroud himself was wanted for probation violation.
Then there's the 26-year-old Massachusetts guy who was nailed trying to sell hacked Comcast cable modems to undercover FBI agents. While lots of people would love free Internet service on Comcast's dime, Matthew Delorey learned that trying to make a business selling illegally reconfigured boxes can result in up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.
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