Four Men Sentenced In Operation Copycat

Press Release, Aug 08, 2006

Colin Roy Jacobson, of Alexandria, Virginia, pleaded guilty yesterday to aiding and abetting criminal copyright infringement by distributing a copyrighted work on a compu

SAN JOSE–United States Attorney Kevin V. Ryan announced that, as part of the ongoing prosecution arising out of Operation Copycat, four individuals were sentenced today and one more pleaded guilty, bringing the total number of convictions to thirty-two. Since July 14, 2005, thirty-seven individuals have been criminally charged as part of the ongoing investigation into online "warez" sites. Thirty-two of those individuals, including two film critics, have been convicted since September 26, 2005.

Colin Roy Jacobson, of Alexandria, Virginia, pleaded guilty yesterday to aiding and abetting criminal copyright infringement by distributing a copyrighted work on a computer network. According to the plea agreement, Mr. Jacobson admitted to the following:

Jacobson, a film critic who wrote for the a website called "DVDMG.com" admitted that he sold advance copies of at least 31movies to a known warez supplier between July 2001 and June 2005. Mr. Jacobson is the second film critic to be convicted of copyright infringement as part of Operation Copycat.

The first film critic convicted under Operation Copycat, Paul Sherman, of Malden,Massachusetts, entered a guilty plea on May 22, 2006 before U.S. District Court Judge Ronald M. Whyte in San Jose. According to the plea agreement, Mr. Sherman,a freelance film critic for the Boston Herald and other publications,admitted to selling advance copies of over one hundred movies to a known warez supplier between May 2002 and June 2005.For details on the previous 30convictions, click here for the June 20, 2006 press release.

Additionally, Judge Whyte sentenced the following four individuals yesterday for their involvement in criminal copyright infringement. Read more at sanfrancisco.fbi.gov