By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

A Fayetteville man has been arrested for possessing and selling illegal cable descramblers, the result of a recent undercover investigation.

Fayetteville Police, in cooperation with MediaOne, arrested Wendell Alvin Corley, 63, Monday morning in the parking lot of Home Depot at the Fayette Pavilion. According to a MediaOne report, he had just sold an illegal converter box for $350 to a MediaOne security employee and allegedly sold another box to the employee at the same location last Friday.

Corley allegedly had more than 80 descramblers and dozens of computer chips in a van at his residence on S. Jeff Davis Drive, along with business cards identifying him as “The Cable Man.” Police also found three firearms in the van he was driving at the time of his arrest, reports indicated.

A news conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. today at Fayetteville Police headquarters, where police and officials from MediaOne and the Cable Television Association of Georgia will discuss the operation and display some of the seized equipment.

Descramblers, with the help of special computer chips inserted into them, can be programmed to receive unauthorized cable channels, premium movie services and pay-per-view events. Although they are illegal, the so-called “black boxes” are often sold on the Internet and in various publications.

Manufacturing, possessing or selling devices used for receiving unauthorized cable TVa is a felony in Georgia punishable with fines up to $1,000 and a 12-month prison sentence, according to MediaOne.

Officials said that they learned of Corley through conversations with two other suspects recently arrested and charged with similar crimes in Fayette and DeKalb counties.

“While some people may not see this as the most serious of crimes, stealing cable TV services and equipment has an impact on the quality of the services MediaOne delivers and the amount of franchise fees paid to local governments,” said Tim Stotler, regional security manager for MediaOne in Atlanta. “We hope this arrest will send a message to anyone who may be involved in this kind of illegal activity.”

Engineers also say that by tapping into the system with substandard equipment, violators can actually hurt the signal quality of paying customers who live nearby, MediaOne reported.

The cable company conducts audits to determine if people connected to its Broadband network are receiving unauthorized cable television services. Audit teams inspect connections at poles, pedestals and other connection devices to verify that only those parties paying for service are connected.

Using the latest technology, MediaOne also checks for people receiving unauthorized premium services through the use of illegal traps or black boxes.

MediaOne is offering rewards of up to $20,000 for the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for stealing cable TV equipment, and has established a 24-hour hotline at 770-559-7676 for anyone with information about such activities.