ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Barry Gitarts, 25, of
Brooklyn, N.Y., was convicted today by a jury in the Eastern District of
Virginia of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, announced
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Chuck Rosenberg and
Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division. U.S.
District Court Judge Liam O'Grady will sentence Gitarts on Aug. 8, 2008.
Gitarts faces up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years
of supervised release as well as being required to make full restitution.
According to the testimony and evidence presented at trial, Gitarts was a
significant member of the Internet music piracy group Apocalypse Production
Crew (APC) from at least June 2003 through April 2004. Records and testimony
introduced at trial showed that Gitarts, using the alias "Dextro," paid for
and administered a computer server located in Texas that APC group members
used to upload and download hundreds of thousands of copies of pirated music,
movies, software and video games. Evidence also showed that Gitarts received
payment from the leader of APC.
Testimony showed that APC acted as a "first-provider" or "release group" of
pirated content on to the Internet. Release groups are the original sources
for a majority of the pirated works distributed and downloaded via the
Internet. Once a group prepares a stolen work for distribution, the material
is distributed in minutes to secure computer servers throughout the world.
U.S. Attorney Rosenberg stated, "Music piracy is stealing and, unless you want
to end up in a federal prison, don't do it."
The case is part of an ongoing federal crackdown against the organized piracy
groups responsible for most of the illegal distribution of copyrighted movies,
software, games and music on the Internet. To date, there have been 15
criminal convictions of APC members and 56 convictions in Operation FastLink,
a massive international enforcement action against organizations involved in
the illegal online distribution of copyrighted material.
To date, Operation FastLink has resulted in more than 200 search warrants
executed in 15 countries; the confiscation of hundreds of computers and
illegal online distribution hubs; and the removal of more than 100 million
dollars worth of illegally-copied copyrighted software, games, movies and
music from illicit distribution channels. Operation FastLink is the
culmination of multiple FBI investigations, including an investigation into
pre-release music groups led by FBI agents from the Washington Field Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay V. Prabhu of the
Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorneys Josh Goldfoot and Tyler G.
Newby of the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Computer Crime and
Intellectual Property Section.
SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice
Jim Rybicki of the Office of United States Attorney Chuck Rosenberg, Eastern
District of Virginia, +1-703-842-4050
