A Fayetteville man

has been arrested for possessing and selling

illegal cable descramblers, the result of a

recent undercover investigation.

Fayetteville

Police, in cooperation with MediaOne, arrested

Wendell Alvin Corley, 63, Monday morning in the

parking lot of Home Depot at the Fayette

Pavilion. According to a MediaOne report, he had

just sold an illegal converter box for $350 to a

MediaOne security employee and allegedly sold

another box to the employee at the same location

last Friday.

Corley allegedly

had more than 80 descramblers and dozens of

computer chips in a van at his residence on S.

Jeff Davis Drive, along with business cards

identifying him as "The Cable Man."

Police also found three firearms in the van he

was driving at the time of his arrest, reports

indicated.

A news conference

is scheduled for 3 p.m. today at Fayetteville

Police headquarters, where police and officials

from MediaOne and the Cable Television

Association of Georgia will discuss the operation

and display some of the seized equipment.

Descramblers, with

the help of special computer chips inserted into

them, can be programmed to receive unauthorized

cable channels, premium movie services and

pay-per-view events. Although they are illegal,

the so-called "black boxes" are often

sold on the Internet and in various publications.

Manufacturing,

possessing or selling devices used for receiving

unauthorized cable TVa is a felony in Georgia

punishable with fines up to $1,000 and a 12-month

prison sentence, according to MediaOne.

Officials said that

they learned of Corley through conversations with

two other suspects recently arrested and charged

with similar crimes in Fayette and DeKalb

counties.

"While some

people may not see this as the most serious of

crimes, stealing cable TV services and equipment

has an impact on the quality of the services

MediaOne delivers and the amount of franchise

fees paid to local governments," said Tim

Stotler, regional security manager for MediaOne

in Atlanta. "We hope this arrest will send a

message to anyone who may be involved in this

kind of illegal activity."

Engineers also say

that by tapping into the system with substandard

equipment, violators can actually hurt the signal

quality of paying customers who live nearby,

MediaOne reported.

The cable company

conducts audits to determine if people connected

to its Broadband network are receiving

unauthorized cable television services. Audit

teams inspect connections at poles, pedestals and

other connection devices to verify that only

those parties paying for service are connected.

Using the latest

technology, MediaOne also checks for people

receiving unauthorized premium services through

the use of illegal traps or black boxes.

MediaOne is

offering rewards of up to $20,000 for the arrest

and conviction of anyone responsible for stealing

cable TV equipment, and has established a 24-hour

hotline at 770-559-7676 for anyone with

information about such activities.

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