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Arizona fan pretended to be restaurant employee to upgrade cable to Pac-12 Network

California v Arizona

TUCSON, AZ - MARCH 03: Head coach Sean Miller of the Arizona Wildcats reacts during the second half of the college basketball game against the California Golden Bears at McKale Center on March 3, 2018 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Golden Bears 66-54 to win the PAC-12 Championship. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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An Illinois man is facing multiple charges after pretending to be a restaurant employee over the phone to enhance the place’s cable package. The goal: to secure the Pac-12 Network to watch an Arizona basketball game while the man was in the area for the weekend.

Arlington Heights, Illinois native Kevin M. Cayton has been charged by Sauk County prosecutors with felony identity theft for financial gain and unauthorized use of an entity’s identifying information, according to a report from KVOA Tucson. The 51-year-old Cayton said he was an employee of Buffalo Phil’s in Lake Delton in order to secure the Pac-12 Network. The business manager for the place eventually noticed a large increase in the restaurant’s cable rates.

Eventually, 11 phone calls were linked to Cayton and the cable provider, Charter Spectrum, in December. Cayton was linked to the trip to the area through social media.

He was booked and released on a $2,000 signature bond. Cayton is due in Sauk County Circuit Court on July 31 as each of his charges carries a maximum six-year prison sentence.

As an Illinois resident who has tried to watch Pac-12 Network games in public, I can relate to this being tough to deal with. Pac-12 Network isn’t available in very many places around the Midwest and it can be tough find a place that will air a west-coast game that you’re looking for. But pretending to work at a restaurant in order to watch a game there is taking things to a ridiculous new level.

(H/t: Sean Mooney with KVOA Tucson)