Feds arrest Oakes, ND man charged with computer fraud, extortion

FARGO (KVRR-KFGO) – An Oakes, North Dakota man was arrested Friday by the FBI and charged in federal court with five crimes involving computer fraud and abuse, extortion, and harassment.

Fifty-year-old Thomas Dorsher, also known as Scammerblaster, faces up to 32 years in prison and over $1 million in fines if convicted for his role in a conspiracy to make threats and launch computerized attacks on three Utah-based companies with the goal of overwhelming and disabling their servers.

The indictment claims Dorsher ran the criminal operation out of his basement in Oakes.

Dorsher called the charges against him “bogus” during his initial appearance at the federal courthouse in Fargo this morning. He will remain in custody at least until Tuesday, when a detention hearing is scheduled.

In July, the FCC proposed an over $116 million fine against Dorsher in a related and complex robocall “traffic-pumping” scheme.