The co-leader of one of the oldest piracy groups on the Internet,
arrested last December, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in
a US court.
The suspect, John Sankus Jr of Philadelphia, faces up to five years
in prison and a $250,000 fine for his part in an international
Internet software piracy group known as DrinkOrDie.
DrinkOrDie has allegedly been involved in the illegal online
distribution of pirated copies of copyrighted software, computer
games and movies, according to the government.
"This plea is another significant step in our effort to eliminate
intellectual property crime on the Internet and to make it safer
for individuals and businesses to develop and use new software and
technologies," said US Attorney Paul McNulty.
According to the US government, Sankus was responsible for the
management and supervision of the activities of DrinkOrDie's
members. He allegedly supervised some 60 people who acquired the
pirated titles, defeated security features and then distributed the
counterfeit titles around the world.
The DrinkOrDie group was one of several piracy operations targeted
as part of several US investigations into international software
piracy during the past two years.
Bob Kruger, vice president of enforcement for the software vendors'
anti-piracy group, the Business Software Alliance, said Sankus'
plea was likely to be the first of many to come from others who
were arrested.
Two other men pleaded guilty in Los Angeles last month in
connection with the investigations, according to a Justice
Department statement.
"We're gratified that law enforcement is taking these actions,"
Kruger said. "We think it's important to send a message that
Internet piracy is not a hobby, it's a crime."
DrinkOrDie is one of the "most elite and most notorious pirate
groups," and prosecuting its members is an important step in
stopping its operations, Kruger said. "This is significant because
they got one of their co-leaders."