U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to 70 Months for Telecommunications Hacking and Extortion

A U.S. Army soldier has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for hacking into multiple telecommunications companies and stealing mobile call and text metadata. According to reporting from Krebs on Security, the soldier pleaded guilty to extortion-related charges involving data from AT&T and Verizon. The breach impacted more than 100 million AT&T customers during 2024. The defendant was ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution to victims. The sentencing marks the conclusion of a case that highlighted vulnerabilities in telecommunications infrastructure and the potential for mass metadata exposure. While the exact intrusion methodology was not detailed in the source reporting, the case underscores the legal consequences of unauthorized access to communications data. Both AT&T and Verizon have been implicated, though the full scope of Verizon compromise remains subject to ongoing verification.