Texas AG Sues Cell-Phone Crammers for Billing Millions to Consumers

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is suing a text-messaging operation that billed thousands of consumers for millions of dollars in unauthorized mobile phone charges.

Abbott charged 24 defendants, including Jason R. Hope, Wayne P. DeStefano, Ernest W. Souhrada, EyeLevel Holdings LLC, d/b/a JAWA and a number of other companies, with running the scheme. The defendants operated websites that tricked consumers into submitting their mobile phone numbers -- which were then billed for various monthly services, according to the lawsuit.