Prosecutors say a former Air Force airman in New Mexico could be facing up to 10 years in federal prison for computer fraud.
Michael Weber made his initial court appearance Tuesday in Albuquerque.
He remains in federal custody pending Wednesday’s preliminary hearing and detention hearing.
Authorities say the 22-year-old Weber was arrested Tuesday morning by FBI agents at a home in Alamogordo.
According to a criminal complaint, Weber allegedly placed a program, information, code or command known as a “spam bot” onto a government-issued cellular phone assigned to his supervisor at Cannon Air Force Base on Jan. 16.
The “spam bot” allegedly caused the cellular phone to receive a long string of messages allegedly intended to cause damage to it.