Steven R. Hale, Stealing, Tennessee 2025

A former employee of a DVD and Blu-ray manufacturing and distribution company used by major movie studios was sentenced to 57 months in prison for stealing DVDs and Blu-rays of blockbuster movies from the company and selling them before their official scheduled release dates, as well as for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Steven R. Hale, 38, of Memphis, worked for the multinational company from February 2021 to March 2022. During this time, he stole hundreds of pre-release DVDs and Blu-rays that were being prepared for commercial distribution in the United States and not available for sale to the public. These included DVDs and Blu-rays for such popular films as “F9: The Fast Saga,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “Godzilla v. Kong,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Dune,” and “Black Widow.”

Hale sold the DVDs and Blu-rays through e-commerce sites. At least one pre-release Blu-ray that Hale stole and sold, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” was extracted or “ripped” from the Blu-ray by bypassing the encryption that prevents unauthorized copying. That digital copy was then illegally made available over the internet more than a month before the Blu-ray’s official scheduled release date. Copies of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” were downloaded tens of millions of times, with an estimated loss to the copyright owner of tens of millions of dollars.

In addition, Hale unlawfully possessed a pistol that was loaded with one live round in the chamber and 13 rounds in the magazine. Hale has prior felony convictions for armed robbery and attempted robbery.

In May 2025, Hale pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement and agreed to make full restitution to his victims, including the return of the approximately 1,160 stolen DVDs and Blu-rays seized from him to the company where he worked. The same day, in the gun case, Hale pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The cases were consolidated for sentencing.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Senior Counsel Matthew A. Lamberti of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raney Irwin for the Western District of Tennessee prosecuted the case.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant: Steven R. Hale, Crime: Stealing, City and State: Memphis, Tennessee, Exact Date: May 2025, Sentence: 57 months in prison.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/employee-multinational-dvd-company-sentenced-over-four-years-prison-stealing-selling-pre