NORRISTOWN, Pa. -
Investigators in Montgomery County busted what they call a sophisticated ring of thieves, which bilked the Comcast Corporation out of $2.4 million. Thousands of customers got cheaper cable bills as a result.
And that's why the supposed ringleader is comparing himself to Robin Hood.
Alston Buchanan says he stole from the rich, to give to the poor.
"The mom working four jobs, so she puts her babies in front of the thing to watch the Disney network, or whatever, and they can afford that because it's a little cheaper," Buchanan explained.
Actually, a lot cheaper.
Investigators say Buchanan and five associates rigged the system so Comcast customers who paid them a one-time fee would get cable packages for a fraction of the actual cost.
"Wouldn't you be grateful if you were paying like $178 a month, and next thing you're paying $70?" Buchanan continued. "Like, this is great, I love Comcast, this is great!"
Not so great for Comcast, which lost more than $2 million in just one year.
Investigators say another defendant, Kendall Singleton, help set the operation up. Singleton worked for a Comcast sub-contractor called ACI, where detectives found the high-tech equipment that made the swindle possible.
"Literally sitting in a closet, there was a secret hidden computer tower that was attached to the Comcast servers," Montgomery County DA Risa Vetri Ferman told reporters.
Investigators say the defendants charged customers $150, then hacked their accounts to give them discounts off their cable bills. They say more than 5,700 customers benefited.
Some may have known the discount was illegal, some may have looked the other way.
"If the television set fell off the back of the truck and you picked it up, did you know it was illegal, or did you think you were just finding something that somebody lost?" Ferman said.
But Alston Buchanan insisted it was a victimless crime.
"To Joe Schmo, it's a gray area because Comcast still got paid. There weren't illegal boxes, illegal tabs, just promotional rates that Comcast had."
Ferman insisted Buchanan is no Robin Hood.
"When you steal from somebody else, you're nothing but a common thief, and that's what this case is about," the prosecutor said.
And unlike Robin Hood, investigators say the suspects pocketed a lot of cash. They found one briefcase filled with more than $100,000.
The D.A. said that, in addition to the six main players, 16 others will also be charged.
Ferman said the 16 recruited customers by approaching them in beauty salons and barber shops. And that's how the ring got busted. One of those would-be customers turned out to be a Comcast employee.
