A U.S. Army soldier has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for hacking telecommunications companies and stealing call and text metadata linked to more than 100 million AT&T customers. Cameron John Wagenius, 22, was also ordered to pay $294,978 in restitution.
Wagenius, who was stationed in South Korea, used the online alias “Kiberphant0m.” Prosecutors said he worked with alleged co-conspirators to access data held by companies using Snowflake’s cloud storage service, exploiting exposed credentials and accounts that lacked multi-factor authentication.
In 2024, Wagenius claimed on cybercrime forums that he had stolen AT&T call and text records, including phone numbers, timestamps and call durations. He also allegedly targeted other telecommunications companies, including Verizon’s Push-to-Talk business, and threatened to release stolen data unless companies paid him.
After his arrest, Wagenius pleaded guilty to charges in two federal cases. Prosecutors said he cooperated with investigators but also attempted, while awaiting sentencing, to identify vulnerabilities in Bureau of Prisons computer systems.
The investigation involved the FBI, Army Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Secret Service and Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Prosecutors said Wagenius was assisted by Kenneth Schuchman, who previously pleaded guilty to operating the Satori botnet. Two other defendants, Conor Riley Moucka and John Erin Binns, have also been linked to the Snowflake-related data thefts.
According to the article, Wagenius also admitted to re-extorting victims and threatening to disclose national security information. The investigation and related prosecutions continue.
