The FBI managed to implant software on the computer of an individual threatening to extort money from several major communications companies, leading them straight to his doorstep. While the exact capabilities of the CIPAV (Computer and Internet Protocol Address Verifier) software are unknown, it’s encouraging to see the FBI using technology in innovative ways to fight the bad guys.
Although the man’s name was redacted in the documents provided to the Web site, their description of the case matches that of Danny M. Kelly, an unemployed engineer who at the time lived in Chelmsford, Mass. According to federal court records, Kelly was accused of cutting a total of 18 above-ground communications cables between November 2004 and February 2005 as part of a plot to extort money from Verizon and Comcast.
“Kelly sent a series of anonymous letters to Comcast and Verizon, in which he took responsibility for the cable cuts and threatened to continue and increase this activity if the companies did not establish multiple bank accounts for him and make monthly deposits into these accounts,” the original complaint read.
According to the complaint, Kelly demanded $10,000 monthly from each company, and he told the firms to post the bank account information on a private Web page that he demanded they create.
