Former US Army soldier pleads guilty in phone company hacking, extortion case

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo by Félix Besombes via Unsplash

By AJ Vicens

A former U.S. Army soldier pleaded guilty on Tuesday to hacking telecommunications companies' databases, stealing records, and demanding ransoms for the stolen data, the U.S. Department of Justice said. 

 Cameron John Wagenius, 21, defrauded at least 10 organizations by obtaining login credentials for their private computer networks, stealing data, and attempting to extort at least $1 million from the targets, according to the DOJ. 

 Wagenius was arrested December 20, 2024, after having claimed to have stolen phone records related to Vice President Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump, according to reports. Reuters has not confirmed the claims.

James Lee Bright, one of Wagenius' attorneys, declined to comment.

Wagenius, who operated under the online nickname “kiberphant0m,” committed the crimes while on active duty in the U.S. Army and serving at Fort Cavazos, formerly known as Fort Hood, in Texas. 

Wagenius pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, extortion in relation to computer fraud, and aggravated identity theft and is scheduled to be sentenced October 6, the DOJ said in a statement. He faces a maximum of 27 years in prison.

Wagenius pleaded guilty in March to two counts of unlawful transfer of confidential phone records information, according to court records. He has not been sentenced in that case.

(Reporting by AJ Vicens in Detroit; Editing by Stephen Coates // REUTERS)