New York: Two men have been extradited to the United States from Australia to face charges over their alleged roles in a scheme to swindle hundreds of thousands of mobile phone users out of more than $US50 million ($64 million) for unwanted text messaging services.
Michael Pearse, a 52-year-old Australian national, and Yongchao Liu, a 33-year-old Chinese national, are being detained after making initial appearances on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court.
The two men are due to appear in a Manhattan court.Credit:AP
US Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan accused the defendants and their co-conspirators of using a practice they called “auto-subscribing” to charge monthly fees for unsolicited messages about celebrity gossip, horoscopes, jokes, love tips and trivia, without customers’ knowledge or permission.
Pearse and Liu were charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and Pearse was also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Both defendants arrived in the United States on Monday, US time.
