|
|
 |
| Marcel Carter CBS |
Posted: Monday, 03 August 2009 10:32PM
CTA Radio Hacker Says He Didn't Mean Any Harm
|
CHICAGO (CBS) ― Could you have been in danger on the CTA? A young Chicago man is accused of hacking into their radio system hundreds of times. The Feds say he even gave fake directions to some buses and trains. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov sat down with the suspect Monday, and he has an unusual defense.
Marcel Carter, 20, says he didn't realize what he was doing. But it may not make a difference as he's now been charged under a post 9/11 terrorist statute.
The constant coming and going of CTA trains rely on radio communication to keep things on track.
But last week, a 20-year-old Chicago man, was arrested by the FBI and charged with interfering in those important communications hundreds of times over the past 14 months.
When asked what he would say in his defense, Carter said, "I would just say give me a second chance."
How that will play before federal prosecutors or a judge isn't clear. They allege the south side college student's initial radio interference in June of 2008 was more of a nuisance, but say it escalated until it became a safety concern.
The complaint charges Carter with interfering with the operation of a mass transit vehicle, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
According to the complaint, beginning in June 2008 and continuing until last Friday, an individual believed to be Carter began making unauthorized radio transmissions over frequencies used by the CTA for bus and rail operators.
The transmissions started as harassing in nature, but escalated to the point where the male speaker began issuing and countermanding official orders for trains and buses.
The complaint alleges that between June 3 and July 30 of this year, more than 300 unauthorized transmissions were made over CTA frequencies, all of which were recorded.
The complaint cites an incident on June 2 in which the caller impersonated the operator of a CTA Blue Line train approaching the Logan Square station.
When questioned by the CTA control center, the caller then began impersonating the control center and citing rules authorizing a train to proceed through a stop signal. At the time, a train was in fact approaching the Logan Square station, but it arrived safely under the direction of the control center.
The unauthorized radio transmissions caused no accidents and no passengers were ever in immediate danger, the release said. This investigation was conducted in cooperation with the CTA Security Dept.
"He was portraying himself as a CTA controller or a train operator, and was giving what sounded like legitimate commands," said FBI spokesman Ross Rice.
CTA officials say they were not only aware of the interference; they actually played Carter's voice for CTA control center employees.
"It's important to note the control center employees who hear these transmissions could recognize the voice and could react if the individual came on the air," said CTA Senior Vice-President Amy Kovalan.
Kovalan says officials ultimately stopped Carter's transmissions from going beyond the control center to avoid any risks, but couldn't catch him.
Carter was identified when he approached a CTA customer service representative on the Red Line at the Jackson station downtown to ask if there was a reward for the return of a stolen CTA radio.
That worker called a supervisor who recognized Carter's voice and kept him there until he was arrested.
Carter says he didn't think anyone could hear him.
In response to the claims that he made 300 transmissions in a set amount of time, making it seem as if he knew the CTA could hear him, Carter said, "No, I didn't know that."
When asked what he would say to the CTA, Carter said, "I'm sorry for the interference and inconvenience that I caused them."
Carter said he never meant any harm.
Carter appeared Monday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Morton Denlow before being released on $4,500 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Aug. 10.
Anyone can get a radio and listen in on the CTA's frequency; interfering with that is the crime. As a result, Kovalan says new safeguards are in place, but even those aren't foolproof.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
|
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
E-Mail Story
Print Story
