U.S. federal authorities arrested a 26-year-old man on Thursday for allegedly selling modified cable modems that enabled free Internet access, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Matthew Delorey of New Bedford, Connecticut, is charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for each charge, and a $250,000 fine.
Delorey allegedly ran a now-defunct Web site called Massmodz.com, where hacked modems were sold. The modems had been modified in order to spoof the device's MAC (Media Access Control) address. It is possible then to either obtain free Internet access or make it appear that a different modem is obtaining access.

Authorities alleged that Delorey sold two of the modified modems to an undercover agent of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The videos Delorey allegedly posted to YouTube showing how to get free Internet access through modified cable modems probably won't help his case.

The link for this article located at PC World is no longer available.