Former US Soldier Who Bragged About Leaking Trump’s Call Logs Pleads Guilty to Hacking and Extortion Scheme

A former US Army soldier from Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) has pleaded guilty in Seattle to charges connected to a large-scale hacking and extortion operation targeting telecommunications companies.

21-year-old Cameron John Wagenius, who served at JBLM, admitted to unlawfully accessing and transferring confidential call records from multiple telecom providers.

Authorities assert Wagenius was recruited into a broader extortion ring responsible for breaching over 150 Snowflake cloud accounts in April 2024. The group demanded ransoms totaling millions, threatening data dumps if victims refused to pay.

Hacking while on active duty

Prosecutors say that between April 2023 and Dec. 18, 2024, Wagenius used Dark Web accounts associated with the nickname Kiberphant0m and conspired with others to defraud at least 10 victim organizations by obtaining login credentials for their protected computer networks.

They pilfered the credentials using a hacking tool called SSH Brute, among other means. They used Telegram group chats to discuss gaining access to victim companies’ networks and transfer stolen credentials.

“This activity happened while Wagenius was on active duty with the US Army,” according to the US Department of Justice.

Wagenius even bragged about accessing the call logs of US President Donald Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris, reports say.

$1 million in demands

After stealing data, Wagenius and his co-conspirators extorted the victim organizations both privately and in public forums, the DOJ notes.

The extortion methods included threats to post or sell the stolen data on cybercrime forums – which they did several times. They also used stolen data to commit other frauds, including SIM-swapping.

“In total, Wagenius and his co-conspirators attempted to extort at least $1 million from victim data owners,” the DOJ says.

‘Can hacking be treason?’

Court filings further reveal that, prior to his arrest, Wagenius searched the web for “can hacking be treason,” “defecting to Russia,” and “US military personnel defecting to Russia,” raising concerns about his intentions to flee the US.

Authorities also found fake IDs, thousands of stolen identity documents, and cryptocurrency wallets on his devices.

Wagenius pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawfully transferring confidential phone records. There is no plea agreement, and he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and fines of up to $500,000.

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