VoIP Provider Convicted for Carrying Pakistani Debt Relief Calls and Collecting the Checks

What happened

On July 21, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, part of the Department of Justice (DOJ), announced that a jury in Norfolk convicted Barry Glenn Augustinsky, 55, of Poquoson, Virginia. The charges were mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, money laundering, unlawful monetary transactions, and obtaining information under false pretenses.

Augustinsky faces up to 20 years in prison when sentenced on November 5, 2026.

The evidence

According to court records and trial evidence:

• Augustinsky owned telecom companies that facilitated VoIP calls.
• From 2018 through at least 2023, he conspired with the CEO of One Ten Communications (OneTen), a call center in Karachi, Pakistan. OneTen representatives used his VoIP services to make millions of calls to people in the United States.
• Callers falsely told victims their credit card debt would be reduced or eliminated if they sent payments to companies Augustinsky controlled.
• Callers also falsely claimed to be agents of legitimate debt relief companies with which OneTen had no affiliation.
• Victims sent hundreds of personal checks to post office boxes in Portsmouth and Poquoson. Augustinsky kept 30 percent of each check, took an extra cut as payment for the VoIP service, and wired funds back to OneTen in Pakistan from time to time.
• He knew the representations were false, that OneTen was spoofing caller ID, and that many victims were elderly.
• He told a credit reporting company he needed credit reports for "construction loan funding" so his overseas co-conspirator could get access. More than 300 credit reports were obtained without authorization.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) investigated.

Why it matters

This case puts a voice provider at the center of a telemarketing fraud prosecution. Augustinsky did not just carry traffic. He shared in the proceeds and collected the payments. That combination made him a co-conspirator, not a neutral carrier.

The facts also track the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR). The TSR bars debt relief providers from collecting fees before settling or reducing a debt, and it prohibits misrepresenting affiliation with another company. Caller ID spoofing with intent to defraud also violates the Truth in Caller ID Act.

For voice providers, the lesson is simple. Knowing that a customer is spoofing, targeting the elderly and making false claims, then profiting from it, creates criminal exposure.

Practical steps

• Voice providers: know your customer, especially offshore call centers.
• Never accept revenue tied to the outcome of a customer's calls.
• Monitor for spoofing and act on traceback requests.
• Debt relief sellers: follow the TSR advance-fee ban and never claim false affiliations.