NorCal Man Gets 4 Years For Selling Counterfeit CDs And DVDs
SAN JOSE (AP) -- A 22-year-old man has been sentenced to four years in prison for his role in a copyright infringement scheme that involved selling counterfeit CDs and DVDs in Northern California.
Federal prosecutors say Otto Godinez-Sales was sentenced Wednesday for conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement.
According to court documents, Godinez-Sales maintained warehouses near his home in San Jose, where he sold counterfeit CDs and DVDs. The music and movies were protected under United States copyright laws.
In many instances, authorities said, the movies being trafficked were still in theatrical release.
Two co-defendants -- 34-year-old Francisco Martinez-Cruz and 32-year-old Soledad Garcia-Venegas -- were sentenced to just under two years in prison each.
Prosecutors say Martinez-Cruz and Garcia-Venegas bought the CDs and DVDs from Godinez-Sales and resold them at flea markets in Marysville and Orland.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.