A father and son duo, Robert D. Cook, 56, and Todd A. Cook, 23, both of Wichita Falls, Texas, pleaded guilty to selling $1 million worth of counterfeit computer software in Virginia.
The Cooks operated several Web sites that sold large volumes of counterfeit software with a combined retail value of approximately $1 million from July 2006 through May 2008.
According to court documents, the defendants used these Web sites to sell downloadable counterfeit software without authorization from the copyright owners.
The defendants also admitted that they promoted their illicit scheme by purchasing advertising for their Web sites from major Internet search engines.
Both defendants face up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.
Sentencing has been scheduled for June 18, 2010.
This case is part of the ongoing initiative to combat online piracy and is the latest in an investigation out of Wichita Falls, in which four other men have been convicted for operating Web sites engaged in the sale of pirated software.
Combined, the counterfeit software sold by these individuals had a retail value of more than $10 million.
Related Federal Cases
- Todd Alan Cook, Software Piracy, Texas 2010 · Virginia
- Julian Paul Assange, Espionage Conspiracy, Virginia 2023 · North Carolina
- Nicholas Andrew McMillion, Cyberstalking, Virginia 2024 · North Carolina
- Hammad Akbar, Selling a Surreptitious Interception Device, Virginia 2014 · Alaska
- Jeffrey Miller, Hacking into Veterans’ Records, West Virginia 2018 · Ohio
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
