A computer hacker was convicted in federal...

A computer hacker was convicted in federal court in Fresno of illegally obtaining and selling long-distance telephone access codes. Thomas Gould Alvord, 35, of South Lake Tahoe was found guilty by jury and faces up to 75 years in prison and $2 million in fines. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 19. The stolen codes allowed Alvord’s customers, many of them truckers who paid a one-time fee of $100 and $60 a month to call over the networks of MCI, US Sprint and other carriers at the expense of phone customers. One securities business saw its phone bill balloon to $72,000 a month from $3,000, the Fresno Bee reported.