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Jailed 'Iceman' Hacker Now Charged With Drone-Smuggling Scheme Orchestrated From Prison (washingtontimes.com)
In 2010, Max Ray Butler received a 13-year prison sentence for "hacking" -- at the time, the longest one ever -- after stealing nearly 2 million credit cards and running up fraudulent charges over $86 million.
But eight years into his sentence, he's now being charged with commiting five more counts of wire fraud while still in prison, as well as possessing stolen credit card numbers and contraband in prison, plus two more related counts of conspiracy.
An anonymous reader quotes the Washington Times: Previously known as Max Ray Butler and by his hacker alias, "Iceman," Max Ray Vision has been charged in a nine-count indictment filed by federal prosecutors that places him at the center of a scheme that allegedly involved using a smuggled cellphone, stolen banking data and a consumer-grade drone to make an airdrop into prison, The Daily Beast first reported Friday.... Prosecutors alleged in the indictment that Vision used a smuggled T-Mobile "My-Touch" cellphone while incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Center in Oakdale, Louisiana, to access the internet and obtain stolen debit card numbers.
"Using MoneyGram and Western Union websites, and their respective mobile applications," a grand jury charged in the indictment, "Butler wired funds from the bank accounts associated with the stolen debit card numbers to other inmates at Oakdale FCC," including five co-defendants also charged in the indictment. He later instructed his fellow inmates to transfer the funds obtained from the stolen debit cards to a former cellmate who had been released in May 2015, according to the indictment... Vision's former cellmate allegedly used the stolen funds to purchase an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, that was then used in April 2016 to attempt to smuggle another cellphone and other unspecified contraband into prison, according to the indictment...
He allegedly began using the smuggled Android phone in Oct. 2014, according to the indictment, roughly 18 months before the airdrop.
"The potential for greater crimes [sic] opportunities are obvious," complained the Bureau of Prisons concluded in a report cited by The Daily Beast, "i.e. escape, introduction of firearms, etc.
But eight years into his sentence, he's now being charged with commiting five more counts of wire fraud while still in prison, as well as possessing stolen credit card numbers and contraband in prison, plus two more related counts of conspiracy.
An anonymous reader quotes the Washington Times: Previously known as Max Ray Butler and by his hacker alias, "Iceman," Max Ray Vision has been charged in a nine-count indictment filed by federal prosecutors that places him at the center of a scheme that allegedly involved using a smuggled cellphone, stolen banking data and a consumer-grade drone to make an airdrop into prison, The Daily Beast first reported Friday.... Prosecutors alleged in the indictment that Vision used a smuggled T-Mobile "My-Touch" cellphone while incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Center in Oakdale, Louisiana, to access the internet and obtain stolen debit card numbers.
"Using MoneyGram and Western Union websites, and their respective mobile applications," a grand jury charged in the indictment, "Butler wired funds from the bank accounts associated with the stolen debit card numbers to other inmates at Oakdale FCC," including five co-defendants also charged in the indictment. He later instructed his fellow inmates to transfer the funds obtained from the stolen debit cards to a former cellmate who had been released in May 2015, according to the indictment... Vision's former cellmate allegedly used the stolen funds to purchase an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, that was then used in April 2016 to attempt to smuggle another cellphone and other unspecified contraband into prison, according to the indictment...
He allegedly began using the smuggled Android phone in Oct. 2014, according to the indictment, roughly 18 months before the airdrop.
"The potential for greater crimes [sic] opportunities are obvious," complained the Bureau of Prisons concluded in a report cited by The Daily Beast, "i.e. escape, introduction of firearms, etc.
"Although [Vision] was only equipped with a smartphone, he proved that he is more than capable to disrupt and circumvent the security of the institution and present a clear danger to the community in general."
I assume that he will go back to criminal court with new charges, any chances of early release for his 13 year term are gone, and for the new charges he will get the maximum sentence possible by law.
His mistake was using an Android phone. If he used an iPhone he would have gotten away with it.
Well that's useful information right there, EditorDavid, that really informed me with information.
Wow, they smuggled a drone into a prison up some guys butt?! I'm not even mad because that's impressive, like, goatse impressive. ;)
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
It depends on the security level. Some are lightly guarded, some moderate. Not many are highly guarded.
There are lessons to be taught here and I'm willing to bet that the people in charge will learn absolutely none of them. Instead opting to go with the chilling effect of further punishment, sure the Iceman should have learnt his lesson but the prison officials are also responsible for this as their methods and procedures are still stuck in the 60's and fail to consider the digitally inclined criminal
How does one 'possess' an information?
By writing it down?
Remembering it?
Is this a more awful crime than 'possessing' somebody's home address or phone number?
It must be a copyright violation.
Line his cell with Aluminum foil and take his visitation rights away.
It is not "hacking" that he goes to jail for.
It is STEALING 86 MEEEELLLION dollars from people.
Many of those people had their credit rating wrecked, and money lost forever.
Post a camera in the cell and free URL access.
So any kid that wants to go hacking, can watch how a hacker lives.
Having served a 2.5 year sentence in a medium security prison, it is absolutely possible to fly in an unnoticed drone.
Also, the COs were robbing the place blind. Using inmates to take stuff off the delivery trucks for food and commissary and bringing cases right to their personal vehicles.
I also witnessed COs bring in knives, have sex with inmates, violate the work release segregation law, and several other egregious crimes.
The moral of the story? The police are the real criminals.
Oh, and if you wonder how drugs get into prison...it isn't in someone's ass typically.
The COs were the dealers, and they specifically threw away urine tests for their inmate accomplices. If there were a prosecutor with enough balls to fight it, I'd testify and provide documentation, but around here, the prosecutors, judges, and sherrif are all in bed together.
I think that may in part be due to the masses and representatives incompetence. Society largely votes on emotion rather than rational logical arguments. The way the system should work is the individuals and companies should be responsible for there own security. If a system is so insecure and dysfunctional that billions of dollars are being lost every year the answer isn't to steal money from others and redistribute it to law enforcement in order to pursue those compromising the system. The answer is fix that system. While he may be guilty of a crime I would not be able to convict this man. There is a limit to stupidity for which I can't tolerate and tax-payer funded government law enforcement hinders proper free market solutions to security and security outfits that could actually do a cheaper and better job at protecting us.
But the vengeful savage fascists here want *blood and guts and veins in their teeth*..
So, in that light, his only real crime is that he was sloppy and stupid, and got caught.
Sorry 'bout that, chief
I'm sure this jerk is expecting that any more sentences he gets for this will be served concurrent with his original 13 years, meaning that this costs him little if any extra time in prison. If you really want to make him pay for what he's done, make all of his new sentences run consecutive, meaning that he doesn't even start on his first new one until after he's completely finished his current stir time, and he won't be eligible for parole until he's into his last one. With any luck, he'll be stuck in the graybar hotel for the next 40 to 50 years, without Internet access, so that any skills he might have will be completely obsolete if he's lucky enough to remember how he used to do things like this.
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This one is where the Feds sent Governor Edwards for a few years, so I doubt it is maximum security.
in light of all the cell phones that are smuggled into the prison system, why on earth are jammers not allowed within the confines of the facility ?
Before you go off the deep end and tell me they can interfere with comms outside the facility, I will say you don't need the Death Star sized Jammer that wipes out an entire Cell tower area. They do make smaller units that only have a range of $pick_your_range based on how powerful the unit is. Would be trivial to keep it inside the facility itself.
Better yet, place a local tower ( I'm sure they have plenty of Singrays laying around ) so the phones will connect to it instead. This gives them both ends of the call and / or the ability to monitor it in real time.
Perhaps it's just a problem they just don't want to solve.
-shrugs-
The reason he was putting the money into other inmates bank accounts was because he was told in no uncertain terms by them that is what he would be doing.
Sounds a lot like the plot to Orange is the New Black. Either that show is super-real, or you are just repeating it and didnâ(TM)t live it.
I like your summary of the current state of things. It is "Spot On". Come out of the shadows. If we stand together and put these bastards in the ground, we can put a stop to it. Do not be cowered into posting anonymously. Stand up! I will stand with you!
— the pathetic living punchline that calls himself gerald butler