Kansas City Man Sentenced for Trafficking in Counterfeit DVDs, CDs
KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for trafficking in thousands of counterfeit DVDs and CDs.
Reginald R. Collier, 26, of Kansas City, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner this morning to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Collier to pay $41,361 in restitution to the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., and the Recording Industry Association of America, Inc. Collier was also ordered to forfeit to the government a laptop computer, three DVD burners, a CD recorder, and other equipment used to commit the offense, as well as the counterfeit DVDs and CDs.
On Aug. 13, 2009, Collier pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement. Collier admitted that, between Aug. 16, 2006, and March 13, 2009, he infringed a copyright by reproducing and distributing copies of motion pictures and music.
FBI agents encountered Collier at the Swap ‘N Shop, 8200 E. 63rd St., in Kansas City, Mo., selling counterfeit DVDs. Collier had several large folding tables with boxes and crates on them, which contained illegal copies of DVDs and CDs. Among the movies for sale was “World Trade Center,” which had just been released in theaters the week before. A confidential source was subsequently used in the investigation, on three separate occasions, to purchase a total of 170 counterfeit DVDs of movies from Collier, including movies that were still playing in theaters and not available for public purchase.
A total of 1,506 counterfeit DVDs were recovered from Collier in the investigation, representing a total loss to the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., of $30,044. A total of 1,574 counterfeit CDs were recovered, representing a total loss to the Recording Industry Association of America, Inc., of $11,317.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew P. Wolesky. It was investigated by the FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force, with assistance from the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., and the Recording Industry Association of America, Inc.
(Source: FBI)
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