Tampa, FL – A Local Woman Brought to Justice for Trafficking COA Labels
A Tampa woman has been sentenced to 22 months in federal prison after a jury found her guilty of conspiring to traffic in illicit Microsoft certificate of authenticity (COA) labels. Heidi Richards (52, Brandon) was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Richards, doing business as Trinity Software Distribution, paid co-constrators millions of dollars for thousands of genuine, standalone Microsoft COA labels at prices significantly lower than the retail price of the associated software. Richards and her employees harvested product key codes from the labels, then sold them in bulk to her customers.
Federal law prohibits the trafficking of standalone COA labels separate from the software programs they were intended to accompany. COA labels authenticate Microsoft software, assist customers in identifying genuine software, and bear security features intended to dissuade counterfeit duplication.
The illicit, secondary market for COA labels exists because they bear product key codes used to activate Microsoft software. COA labels are not to be sold separately from the license and hardware that they are intended to accompany, and they hold no independent commercial value.
Homeland Security Investigations (Kansas City Field Office) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Risha Asokan of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Jared Hosid of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) prosecuted the case.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.
A local woman with a history of shady business practices, Heidi Richards was brought to justice for her involvement in a COA label trafficking scheme. Her 22-month prison sentence serves as a reminder that cybercrime will not be tolerated in our community.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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