'Runner' in Montco Comcast-Ripoff Crime Ring Gets Prison Time
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- One of the men whom Montgomery County prosecutors describe as a key player in a sophisticated scam that ripped off Comcast Corporation for more than $2.4 million in just one year is headed to jail.
Today, a judge sentenced Brandon Irving to 3-6 months behind bars for theft and conspiracy.
Prosecutors call the 29-year-old Philadelphia man a "recruiter" or a "runner" -- the person on the streets looking for Comcast customers willing to pay an upfront fee to have their monthly bills reduced. The fraud ring then had insiders go into Comcast's billing system and lower the subscriber's monthly fee.
Prosecutor Jeremy Lupo says many of the nearly two dozen defendants, including Irving, had no prior criminal record (see related story).
"It was a shortcut," Lupo says. "They had access to an easy money source and they took it. Unfortunately, they were all good people who got caught up in a bad scam."
The defense tried to minimize Irving's role in the scam, but Lupo says text messages between the defendant and the so-called ringleader (see related stories) indicate he knew the scope of the organization, even asking the boss to get rid of evidence that might lead police to him.
In court, Irving apologized and took responsibility for his actions.