Online-Piracy Raids Net First Conviction

To all potential software pirates out there, heed this warning. You might just be the next to feel the wrath of the authorities as they celebrate their first true conviction via the efforts of the FBI. Personally, I think that the 15 year sentence was a little harsh considering this guy is likely to do time with some really unpleasant people. That being said, a 5-7 year sentence would not have been out of the question though.

A 26-year-old college student faces 15 years in prison as the first person convicted of software piracy stemming from April’s international raids dubbed “Operation Fastlink.”

According to court documents made public last week and reported by the Iowa City Press-Citizen, Jathan Desir, 26, who is registered at the University of Iowa, pleaded guilty December 22 in U.S. District Court in Des Moines.

Court records say that Desir and others set up an online library for a private group to share movies, games, software, and music in January 2003. By April 2004, the collection had mushroomed to about 13,000 titles.

In April, FBI agents seized six computers at Desir’s residence as part of Operation Fastlink, a crackdown that targeted so-called “warez” groups, which act as the source for most pirated software or movies. The raids were conducted by the FBI in 27 states, and by local law enforcement agencies in 10 other countries.