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NinjaVideo Administrator Pleads Guilty to Copyright Conspiracy
Washington – Joshua David Evans, 34, of North Bend, Wash. pleaded guilty today for his role in NinjaVideo.net, a website that provided millions of users with the ability to illegally download infringing copies of copyright-protected movies and television programs in high-quality formats.
The guilty plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga in the Alexandria Division of the Eastern District of Virginia, and was announced by U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton.
Evans pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of criminal copyright infringement related to his role in the Internet release of ‘Iron Man 2’ before the movie reached U.S. theaters.
According to court documents, Evans was referred to as the ‘Head God’ of the ‘uploaders,’ who were responsible for locating infringing content on the Internet and uploading the infringing content to servers used by the NinjaVideo.net website, some of which were located in the Eastern District of Virginia. Evans also regularly supervised other uploaders based in North America, who at times numbered more than 10.
Evans admitted that he personally received $26,660 of the funds generated by NinjaVideo.net, which totaled $505,000 in income from Internet advertising and visitor donations during the course of the conspiracy. Evans agreed to pay restitution in this amount.
Evans faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each count of conspiracy and copyright infringement, as well as a $250,000 fine, restitution and three years of supervised release following any prison term. Evans’ sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2012.
Co-defendant Jeremy Lynn Andrew, 33, of Eugene, Ore., also pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy. Andrew pleaded guilty to being the ‘Ninja Head of Security’ of NinjaVideo.net and admitted to receiving $5,250 of the generated funds.
Andrew faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy count, as well as a $250,000 fine, restitution and three years of supervised release. Andrew’s sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2012.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jay V. Prabhu and Lindsay A. Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Glenn Alexander of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section.
The investigation was conducted by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), which is a task force of 19 member agencies that use the expertise of its members to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions, and conduct investigations related to IP theft.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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