Former U.S. Soldier Sentenced for Hacking and Extortion Scheme That Exposed Sensitive Data of U.S. Government Official
Friday, September 25, 2026 - Cameron John Wagenius, 22, a former Army soldier who was most recently stationed in Texas, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $294,978 in restitution for conspiring to hack into telecommunications companies’ databases, access sensitive records, and extort the companies by threatening to release the stolen data unless ransoms were paid. In November 2024, Wagenius made two online posts that disclosed stolen confidential non-content call detail records belonging to a government official and family members of another former official and threatened to release additional confidential records unless paid a ransom. The text of one of these online posts suggested that Wagenius was motivated by a desire to retaliate for the then-recent arrest of another cybercriminal.
“Cameron Wagenius spent more than a year and a half betraying the trust placed in him as an active duty soldier by carrying out a sweeping cybercrime campaign,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “He targeted U.S. and foreign telecommunications companies, compromised the sensitive data of countless people, and even sought to traffic stolen information to a foreign intelligence service. His actions reflect an alarming disregard for the security of the public and the United States. Today’s sentence demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting privacy and security.”
“Mr. Wagenius engaged in a long spree of criminal conduct attempting to blackmail hacking victims for more than $1 million. He has repeatedly shown disregard for the privacy and security of others, the rules of the military, and the law,” said First Assistant Attorney Charles Neil Floyd for the Western District of Washington. “His hacking schemes were not only aimed at getting rich, he was also motivated by a desire to achieve status within criminal hacking communities. This sentence must impose real consequences to deter him, and hopefully other would-be hackers.”
“The FBI and its law enforcement partners moved quickly to identify, locate, and arrest Cameron Wagenius, who abused the trust that came with his military service to break into the networks of U.S. telecommunications companies, steal the private records of Americans, and extort victims for profit,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI Cyber Division. “Today’s sentence of 70 months holds him accountable for those choices. The FBI, working alongside our partners at the Department of Defense (also known as the Department of War) Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and the Army identified and arrested him within weeks of his public extortion threats. The FBI will continue to pursue cybercriminals wherever they are, until they face justice in a U.S. courtroom.”
“Spending more than a year stealing confidential data and then threatening to expose it, Mr. Wagenius attempted to extort multiple organizations for a combined total of more than $1 million,” said Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington of the FBI Seattle field office. “It is especially shocking that a member of our armed forces, sworn to defend Americans and their Constitutional rights, would engage in such a violation of privacy. The FBI takes the theft of data seriously and will investigate, identify, and impose consequences on those who steal data or assist in trafficking and sharing it.”
“Today’s sentencing underscores the relentless efforts to identify, investigate, and prosecute cybercriminals targeting the Department of Defense, the defense industrial base, and American public,” said Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Cyber Field Office. “This success is a result of our collaborative partnerships with federal law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section — sending a clear signal to cybercriminals that their actions will come at a cost.”
According to court documents, between April 2023 and Dec. 18, 2024, Wagenius used online accounts associated with the nickname “kiberphant0m” and conspired with others to defraud at least 10 victim organizations by obtaining login credentials for the organizations’ protected computer networks. Wagenius and his conspirators obtained these credentials using a hacking tool that Wagenius helped develop called SSH Brute, among other means. They used Telegram group chats to transfer stolen credentials and discuss gaining unauthorized access to victim companies’ networks. This activity happened while Wagenius was on active duty with the U.S. Army.
After data was stolen, Wagenius and his conspirators extorted the victim organizations both privately and in public forums. The extortion attempts included threats to post the stolen data on cybercrime forums such as BreachForums and XSS.is. In other instances, conspirators offered to sell stolen data for thousands of dollars via posts on these forums. They successfully sold at least some of this stolen data and also used stolen data to perpetuate other frauds, including SIM-swapping. In total, Wagenius and his co-conspirators attempted to extort at least $1 million from victim data owners.
Wagenius pleaded guilty in the Western District of Washington to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, extortion in relation to computer fraud, and aggravated identity theft on July 15, 2025, and he pleaded guilty in a separate case also in the Western District of Washington to two counts of unlawful transfer of confidential phone records information in connection with this conspiracy on March 5, 2025.
The FBI and DCIS investigated the case. The U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, and the National Security Cyber Section provided valuable assistance.
Senior Counsel Louisa Becker and Trial Attorney George Brown of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sok Tea Jiang for the Western District of Washington prosecuted the case.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.
U.S. Department of Justice
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Source: Justice.gov
