Raleigh, N.C. -- A North Carolina grand jury has indicted a
man who apparently became a millionaire selling doctored set-tops on 28 felony counts.
The man, Daniel Edward Harrell II, continued his business
even after he became aware of an investigation into his activities, according to the
indictments, which were released last week in a U.S. District Court here.
Harrell did business as Add-On Cable, Microcom Industries,
AOC Electronics and Austin Ventures Inc. Time Warner Cable of New York City sued him in
1996 and, at that time, the FBI raided his warehouse.
Despite that legal action and the fact that a court
attempted to freeze his assets, Harrell continued marketing, according to the indictment.
Authorities alleged that he attempted to shield assets in his mother's name, and that
he may have moved $2.2 million into a Swiss bank account.
Cable-theft investigators, working with a Secret Service
agent, set up a sting operation and bought several of the 84,000 doctored converters that
were allegedly sold by Harrell's businesses going back at least through 1992.
The indictments included mail-fraud, money-laundering and
conspiracy counts.
