JusticeDepartment

AT&T vowed Wednesday to fight a Justice Department lawsuit that seeks to block its $39 billion deal to buy T-Mobile USA. The feds are concerned that the acquisition of the No. 4 wireless carrier in the country by No. 2 AT&T would reduce competition and raise consumer prices.

Almost 30 years ago, the government's breakup of AT&T changed how telecom billed customers, and scammers discovered a loophole that let them slip unauthorized fees onto consumers' monthly phone bills. Since then, "cramming" has grown into a multibillion dollar a year con game.

The high-profile prosecution of actor Wasley Snipes a few months before tax season was pretty clearly an effort to scare people into paying their taxes. It might have backfired given that Snipes got off pretty light, but the IRS and the Justice Department say they aren't backing down in their fight...