Gilbert Benjamin faces 68 charges of mail and wire fraud and of submitting false claims with intent to defraud the Government. He is alleged to have run up costs of $100,000 in running the line between 1997 and 1998. He obtained access to the line by telling the army that he was using it to communicate with forces in Bosnia.
If convicted, Benjamin faces up to five years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine on each count.