FORMER U.S. SOLDIER SENTENCED TO 70 MONTHS FOR TELECOM HACKING, EXTORTION AND THEFT OF SENSITIVE PHONE RECORDS

SEATTLE — A former U.S. Army soldier has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for a cybercrime and extortion campaign that targeted telecommunications companies, exposed confidential phone records connected to U.S. government officials, and attempted to extract more than $1 million from victim organizations.

Cameron John Wagenius, 22, who was most recently stationed in Texas, was also ordered to pay $294,978 in restitution. Wagenius carried out the cybercrime campaign while serving on active duty in the U.S. Army.

According to federal court records, the activity stretched from April 2023 through December 18, 2024 and involved unauthorized access to protected computer networks belonging to at least 10 victim organizations.

Wagenius operated online under the nickname “kiberphant0m” and worked with co-conspirators to obtain stolen login credentials, break into company networks, steal sensitive information, and use that data to pressure victims into paying ransom demands.

The conspirators used a hacking tool called SSH Brute, which Wagenius helped develop, to obtain credentials for protected systems. They also used Telegram group chats to exchange stolen credentials and discuss unauthorized access to victim networks.

Once data was stolen, Wagenius and his co-conspirators turned to extortion. Victim organizations were contacted privately and threatened with public disclosure of stolen information unless payments were made.

The group also used cybercrime forums including BreachForums and XSS.is to threaten publication of stolen records and advertise portions of the data for sale.

Some of the stolen information was successfully sold.

Federal prosecutors also established that stolen data was used to support additional criminal activity, including SIM-swapping.

The case reached beyond ordinary corporate data theft.

In November 2024, Wagenius made two online posts disclosing stolen confidential non-content call detail records belonging to a U.S. government official and family members of another former government official. He then threatened to release additional confidential records unless a ransom was paid.

Federal prosecutors said the wording of one post indicated that Wagenius was seeking retaliation for the recent arrest of another cybercriminal.

The Justice Department also said Wagenius sought to traffic stolen information to a foreign intelligence service. That conduct expanded the potential consequences of the scheme beyond financial extortion.

The exposure of confidential phone records involving government officials and their family members added another layer of sensitivity to the stolen data.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said Wagenius spent more than a year abusing the trust associated with his military position while conducting the cybercrime campaign.

Duva said Wagenius targeted telecommunications companies in the United States and abroad, compromised sensitive information belonging to numerous individuals, and attempted to transfer stolen information to a foreign intelligence service.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd for the Western District of Washington said Wagenius attempted to blackmail hacking victims for more than $1 million.

Federal prosecutors also said the crimes were driven in part by Wagenius’ effort to build status and notoriety within criminal hacking communities.

The case involved several separate federal charges and guilty pleas.

On March 5, 2025, Wagenius pleaded guilty in the Western District of Washington to two counts of unlawfully transferring confidential phone-record information.

On July 15, 2025, he pleaded guilty in a separate federal case to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, extortion in relation to computer fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

Wagenius has now been sentenced, making the case a completed federal conviction rather than an allegation.

FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the Cyber Division said investigators identified, located, and arrested Wagenius within weeks of his public extortion threats.

Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle Field Office said the investigation demonstrated the consequences of stealing and trafficking private data.

Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the DCIS Cyber Field Office said the case reflected coordinated federal efforts against cybercriminals targeting the Department of Defense, the defense industrial base, and the public.

The FBI and DCIS investigated the case.

The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, and the Justice Department’s National Security Cyber Section provided additional assistance.

Senior Counsel Louisa Becker and Trial Attorney George Brown of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section prosecuted the case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Sok Tea Jiang for the Western District of Washington.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual-property offenses in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies.

Since 2020, the section has secured convictions of more than 180 cyber and intellectual-property criminals and obtained court orders directing the return of more than $350 million to victims.

The Wagenius case demonstrates how stolen credentials can become the first stage of a broader criminal chain.

Unauthorized network access can lead to data theft, data sales, extortion, identity crime, SIM-swapping, and the exposure of information connected to government personnel.

In this case, the activity also crossed into an attempted transfer of stolen information to a foreign intelligence service.

Wagenius entered the scheme as an active-duty soldier entrusted with responsibilities tied to military service.

He leaves the case as a convicted federal cybercriminal serving a 70-month prison sentence and owing nearly $295,000 in restitution.

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