originally posted here.

Police swoop on $200,000 bandwidth thieves. FBI agents and US police have raided several homes in Toledo and seized computer equipment believed to belong to part of a hacker ring. Houses in Sylvania Township, Perrysburg and Oregon were searched following a four-month investigation into the alleged $200,000 theft of broadband access from the Buckeye Cablesystem network.

Police maintain that the hackers altered the cable firm's equipment, giving them enhanced access to its Buckeye Express broadband service. According to Reuters, the hackers could quickly download files, games and videos by stealing account space and bandwidth from other customers.

Investigators are considering charges of theft and telecoms fraud. Some of the suspects are adults, but most of them are teenagers. Police are taking a close look at the modified computer equipment, and will present the case to the Lucas County prosecutor's office for possible charges. If any of the hackers are convicted, they could face jail sentences of between one and five years.

$200,000 in bandwidth!.. That's alot of pr0n.