Prosecutors say gang reaped a fortune by signing thousands of mobile users up to unwanted paid-for junk text messages

Two men have been charged with helping to run a so-called “cramming” scheme in which they earned tens of millions of dollars by charging unsuspecting mobile phone users for unwanted text messages.

Darcy Wedd and Erdolo Eromo are expected to appear in federal courts in New York and Los Angeles. The charges were brought by the office of US Attorney Preet Bharara in New York, which previously charged six other men in May in connection with the scheme.