TWO HELD

SURE, BOB BULGER ADMITTED HE WAS A MIDDLEMAN WHO HELPED CUSTOMERS PIRATE SATELLITE TV SERVICE, THAT WOULD HAVE COST THEM $400 OR MORE PER YEAR.

IN FACT TWO YEARS BACK, BEFORE HE BAILED OUT, WHEN TECHNOLOGY GOT TOO COMPLICATED AND COSTLY HE WAS DOING SOME "MAJOR MAJOR, SELLING."

EVEN AT THAT THOUGH BULGER INSISTS, HE WAS A SMALL PEDDLER IN A BIG BLACK MARKET DEVOTED TO SWIPING H.B.O., E.S.P.N. AND A LONG MENU OF TV FARE RIGHT OUT OF THE ETHER.

"I HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO DO IT, AND EVERYBODY AND HIS BROTHER EASILY COULD HAVE HAD THE EQUIPMENT TO DO IT, BUT I GOT OUT OF IT A LONG TIME AGO," BULGER AGE 31, SAID AT HIS HOME IN CENTRAL CITY, A NORTHERN SOMERSET COUNTY TOWN OF 1,200 PEOPLE.

"OTHER PEOPLE WERE DOING MORE BUSINESS THAN ME."

SO IT WAS A SMALL SURPRISE HE SAID, WHEN A FEDERAL GRAND JURY IN JOHNSTOWN RETURNED INDICTMENTS LAST WEEK.

THE GRAND JURY SAID BOTH BULGER; A MAN ON DISABILITY SINCE HE "BURNED OUT" AS A PARAMEDIC AND THEODORE NOON AGE 46, A LONG-HAUL TRUCK DRIVER AND DISTANT ACQUAINTANCE THAT LIVES A MILE OUTSIDE OF TOWN SOLD THE GEAR CUSTOMERS NEEDED TO STEAL TV SIGNALS.

IT WAS THE FIRST SUCH CASE TO COME OUT OF JOHNSTOWN, A POKE INTO AN UNDERGROUND ECONOMY THE SATELLITE TV INDUSTRY SAYS ALLOWS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF SIGNALS TO BE PURLOINED ANNUALLY FROM DIRECT-TV INC. AND DISH NETWORKS INC.

THE PROBLEM IS TROUBLESOME ENOUGH THAT 14 MONTHS AGO, ON THE EVE OF THE SUPER-BOWL; DIRECT-TV SENT OUT A SIGNAL THAT DISABLED AN ESTIMATED 200,000 ILLEGITIMATE RECEIVERS.

IT WAS A CATACLYSM THAT SIGNAL HIJACKERS DUBBED AS BLACK SUNDAY.

SIGNAL STEALING IS A SCHEME THAT FOR ALL OF ITS TECHNOLOGY, IS OFTEN CARRIED OUT IN SALES AT ROADSIDE FLEA MARKETS OR IN THE CLASSIFIED PAGES OF ADVERTISING NEWSPAPERS.

"IT IS VERY COMMON - MORE COMMON THAN PEOPLE WOULD BELIEVE.

TO GET THE NECESSARY COMPUTER EQUIPMENT IS EASY," WARNED JOHN POPOVICH WHO ALSO SAID HIS JOHNSTOWN BUSINESS THE TUBE GURU, ONLY OFFERS LEGITIMATE VIDEO INSTALLATION AND REPAIRS.

"THERE'S A WILD FASCINATION FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WHEN YOU GET THINGS FREE."

NOON AND BULGER DENY WRONGDOING.

BUT SEPERATE INDICTMENTS CHARGE THEM WITH SELLING WHAT THE MARKET CALLS "SMART CARDS."

CREDIT CARD SIZE, THEY CONTAIN CHIPS AND SLIDE INTO TELEVISION-TOP SATELLITE RECEIVER BOXES GIVING USERS ENTREE TO THE FARE THAT DIRECT-TV AND DISH NETWORK BEAM TO CUSTOMERS.

THAT'S THE BACKDOOR ROUTE - AT ANYWHERE FROM $80 TO $350 A CARD, TO A SERVICE THAT OTHERWISE WOULD COST ABOUT $50 FOR A START-UP AND AT LEAST $25 A MONTH AFTERWARDS.

THE INDICTMENTS SAY BULGER SOLD NINE SMART CARDS AND NOON SOLD FIVE, BOTH APPARENTLY TO A INFORMENT WORKING WITH F.B.I. AGENTS.

IN ADDISION TO CARD STEALING, BULGER'S INDICTMENT CHARGES HE HAD TWO PIECES OF ELECTRONICS; OUTDATED HE SAYS, THAT COULD PROGRAM SMART CARDS AND UNDO CARDS SNARLED BY SATELLITE SIGNALS THAT DIRECT-TV AND DISH NETWORK USE AS SALVOS AGAINST PIRATES.

BOTH MEN ARE SCHEDULED TO BE ARRAIGNED THIS WEEK.

BETWEEN THEM DISH NETWORK AND DIRECT-TV HAVE 17 MILLION CUSTOMERS IN THE UNITED STATES USING SMALL SATELLITE RECEIVERS COMMONLY CALLED PIZZA DISHES.

ABOUT 578.000 OF THOSE, 'CUSTOMER,S' AN ESTIMATED 12.7 PER-CENT OF THE HOMES WITH TELEVISION ARE IN PENNSYLVANIA ACCORDING TO THE SATELLITE BROADCASTING AND COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION.

IN WHAT POLICE BELIEVE WAS AN ATTEMPT TO FEED THAT MARKET BURGLARS HIT A SUBURBAN JOHNSTOWN SATELLITE TV WAREHOUSE 14 MONTHS AGO, TAKING "HUNDEREDS OF RECEIVERS" FROM WHICH PROBABY THEY WANTED ONLY THE SMART CARDS, SAID OFFICER JOHN HEMING OF THE ADAMS-CAMBRIA COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT.

AGAINST THAT BACKDROP, 14 PIRATED SMART CARDS AND TWO PIECES OF ELECTRONICS ARE MINUSCULE PICKINGS.

SAID BULGER, "I WAS SMALL.

I COULD'VE GIVEN THEM THE BIGGEST DEALER IN THE AREA ON A SILVER PLATTER."

BUT, THE INDICTMENT IS PARTLY A SHOT MENT TO SCATTER SIGNAL PIRATES ESPECIALLY WHEN PROSECUTORS BRING UP THE MAXIMUN PENALTIES, 20 YEARS IN PRISON FOR BULGER AND 15 YEARS FOR NOON.

"THIS CRIMINAL PROSECUTION, LIKE ANY CRIMINAL PROSECUTION IS IN PART MENT TO ACT AS A DETERRENT TO OTHER PEOPLE," SAID JOHN VALKOVCI ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY IN JOHNSTOWN.

BY NOON'S ACCOUNT, THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER PEOPLE; MANY OF THEM SMALL-TIMERS.

"YOU CAN BUY THE CARDS AT FLEA MARKETS ANYWHERE," HE SAID AS HE SAT AT HIS KITCHEN TABLE IN A DOUBLE-WIDE MODULAR HOME, WHERE HE SAYS HE PAYS $25 A MONTH FOR LEGITIMATE SATELLITE TV SERVICE.

"PEOPLE ANY AGE CAN MAKE THESE THINGS.

THERE SO AVAILABLE.

YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE GETTING IT."

BEFORE THE ADVENT TWO YEARS AGO OF MORE COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY THAT STEMMED SOME PIRATING, "IT GOT BORDERLINE OUT OF CONTROL FOR A WHILE," SAID JAMES ASHURST SPOKESMAN FOR THE SATELLITE BROADCASTING AND COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION.

IN HIS HAYDAY BULGER SAID, HE WOULD SELL CARDS FOR $85 EACH; FIX THEM GRATIS WHEN THEY WENT BAD AND CARRING 25 CUSTOMERS AT A TIME.

CALL A TOLL-FREE NUMBER ON THE BACK OF A LOCAL SHOPPER NEWSPAPER AND YOU GET A WINNIPEG MANITOBA COMPANY WHERE A PHONE CLERK LAST WEEK OFFERED PROGRAMMED SMART CARDS FOR $350.

IF YOU HAVE YOUR OWN PROGRAMMING GEAR YOU CAN BUY A BLANK CARD FOR $150.

SAYS ONE WEBSITE OFFERING SMART CARDS AND OTHER PIRATING GEAR, "IT IS UP TO THE END-USER TO COMPLY WITH ALL LEGAL GUIDELINES, THUS; WE ARE NOT AND WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISUSE OF THIS PRODUCT."

"IT IS LIKE A MACHINE GUN," NOON SAID.

"I GUESS YOU CAN OWN IT BUT, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE IT."

END