The U.S. Department of Justice is suing a Nazi sympathizer living in Libby in an effort to collect a $9.9 million fine from the Federal Communications Commission after he plagued various parts of the country with racist, anti-Semitic and threatening robocalls. According to a press release from the Department of Justice, it served a complaint on Wednesday against Scott D. Rhodes, 52, to recover the penalty imposed by the FCC for making nearly 5,000 unlawful and malicious “spoofed” robocalls. In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, the government alleged Rhodes made 4,959 illegal robocalls with falsified caller ID information, with the intent to cause harm. The targets of the alleged robocall campaigns included individuals across the United States, many of whom complained to law enforcement regarding unwanted and harassing calls. An investigation by the FCC culminated in the imposition by the agency of over $9.9 million forfeiture penalty against Rhodes. The lawsuit also seeks to obtain an injunction that would prevent Rhodes from committing any further violations of the Truth in Caller ID Act. “It is unlawful to spoof caller ID numbers to trick consumers into answering unwanted phone calls with the intent to defraud, cause harm or wrongfully obtain anything of value,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton for the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will work with its agency partners to vigorously enforce the telemarketing laws that prohibit these practices.”
via yahoo: Feds sue Libby Nazi sympathizer to collect $9.9M fine