AT&T fraud investigators in New Jersey helped identify Muhammad Qasmani, who admitted laundering nearly $20 million in proceeds.
CNS Photo NEWARK -- A Pakistani man Thursday admitted his role in a massive hacking scheme that broke into business telephone systems, found unused numbers and directed them to dial into premium telephone lines controlled by a criminal organization.
Muhammad Sohail Qasmani, 47, formerly of Bangkok, Thailand, remained in prison without bail after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden.
Federal prosecutors said the conspirators racked up $19.6 million in bogus charges from 2008 through 2012.
Qasmani acknowledged that as part of his role in the thefts, he would launder the funds into accounts in at least 10 Asian and European accounts.
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According to court records, the scheme involved hacking into business telephone systems. Another Pakistani, Noor Aziz, 53, of Karachi is charged in the scheme and authorities said he was the leader. The men identified unused lines, then reprogrammed the systems to make calls to phony premium telephone lines such as adult chat lines and psychic hotlines, charging the calls to those businesses.
Qasmani was arrested in 2014 when he arrived in Los Angeles on a flight from Bangkok.
Aziz was charged by indictment in 2012 and is still a fugitive.
According to court records, AT&T paid the phony companies set up by the group for the phone calls and collected the costs from the businesses that got hacked. The case was brought to federal court in New Jersey as AT&T has fraud detection centers in Somerset and Middlesex counties, according to court records.
The conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge to which Qasmani pleaded carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
He is scheduled to be sentenced May 17.
Tim Darragh may be reached at tdarragh@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @timdarragh. Find NJ.com on Facebook.