Missoula-Area Family Charged With Fraud by the Federal Trade Commission

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Missoula-area family is accused of placing $70 million in bogus charges on customer phone bills nationwide since 2008. Steven Sann and his wife live in Stevensville while their son, Nathan lives in Missoula. A Federal Trade Commission civil complaint says Steven Sann, his wife Terry, son Nathan and accountant Robert Braach run a maze of nine companies engaged in "cramming," which is the practice of adding unauthorized charges to a phone bill. The FTC is asking a judge to issue a preliminary injunction to force the Sanns to stop operating and freeze their assets.