Ninian Ulysses Bond II, Wire & Mail Fraud, North Carolina 2013

Ninian Ulysses Bond II, 60, Pleads Guilty to Wire and Mail Fraud in North Carolina

A cable TV operator from North Carolina has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and mail fraud charges for fraudulently acquiring and unlawfully rebroadcasting DIRECTV satellite TV programming to over 550 customers, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Ninian Ulysses Bond II, 60, of Highlands, N.C., was the owner and principal operator of Highlands Cable Group, a company engaged in the business of providing cable TV programming to customers in Macon County, N.C. The defendant pleaded guilty to wire fraud and mail fraud charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis L. Howell.

According to the indictment, Bond devised and executed a fraudulent scheme to establish and maintain multiple DIRECTV residential and commercial lodging subscriber accounts, enabling him to acquire and maintain over 30 DIRECTV integrated satellite receiver units and DIRECTV satellite access cards. The fraudulently-acquired DIRECTV equipment was used to unlawfully retransmit DIRECTV's satellite television signals to Highlands Cable Group's subscribers.

Court records show that Highlands Cable Group had more than 550 customers, who were receiving DIRECTV's TV programming. Bond paid DIRECTV less than $500 per month to maintain the fraudulent DIRECTV subscriber accounts. However, he received monthly payments from Highlands Cable Group's subscribers, with the fraudulently-acquired DIRECTV television programming valued at over $45,000 per month.

The loss attributable to the fraudulent scheme is estimated at $4.5 million. The defendant has been released on bond since May 2013. The wire fraud and mail fraud charge each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set yet.

The investigation was handled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom O'Malley and Ben Bain-Creed of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdnc/pr/cable-tv-operator-pleads-guilty-wire-and-mail-fraud