A 425-pound computer hacker with a huge appetite for identity theft has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his part in the biggest case of credit card fraud in US history.Philip Cumming, an ex-pat Brit living in Cartersville, Georgia was handed out the sentence at yesterday in a New York courtroom after pleading guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud and fraud offences last September. Cummings stole over 30,000 credit histories from Long Island-based Telecommunications Inc. where he worked as a help desk employee.He then sold the histories to criminal gangs based in Nigeria for $30 a time. The gangs then used the histories to apply for credit cards, loans and bank accounts. Losses from the scam have been estimated at $50-$100 million.Presiding US District Judge George Daniels turned down pleas from the defence to go easy on the morbidly obese Cumming saying he had a heart condition. The defendant is currently on bail but will have to report to prison on 9th March. He is also due to pay compensation to be agreed at a later date.www.fbi.gov/page2/oct04/uncoveridt101504.htmwww.usdoj.gov/usao/nys/Press%20Releases/SEPTEMBER04/Cummings%20Plea%20PR.pdf
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