Morin

A former third-party contractor for Charter Communications has been sentenced for illegally obtaining a service restoration work order from the cable company and reconnecting service for the customer, pocketing $160 for himself.

Bay County District Judge Dawn A. Klida this week sentenced Randy A. Morin, 31, of Bay City, Mich. to six months probation, $555 in fines, $160 in restitution, and 50 hours of community service for pretending to be a Charter employee and illegally turning cable service back on for a disconnected customer.

Anthony David called the cable company to reconnect cable service in November, and Morin arrived at his door with work order in hand. What David did not know was Morin had not worked on behalf of the Charter since May 2011.

Morin asked for a total of $160 to reinstate Charter service, which David gave him in two separate installments. At the end of November, David’s Internet service was switched off again after Charter claimed his connection was illegal. David’s next call was to police who began an investigation culminating in Morin’s arrest and felony charges.

William J. Morand, communications director for Charter’s Northeast Region, admitted Morin previously worked for M. Kable, a Charter contractor, and that there was no legitimate way the former contractor could have obtained current customer information.

Except he did.

Court records do not show exactly how that happened.