DVD Pirate Pleads Guilty
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 15, 2011 |
SACRAMENTO, CA—United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Yan Akhumov, 45, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to felony copyright infringement.
This case is the product of a joint investigation by the FBI and the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crime Task Force with assistance from the Rancho Cordova Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) Assistant United States Attorney Matthew D. Segal.
According to court documents, Akhumov distributed unauthorized copies of copyrighted motion pictures in Music Land stores that he controlled in Rancho Cordova, West Sacramento, Citrus Heights, and North Highlands. His inventory for sale or rental included unauthorized copies of Hollywood movies such as “The Godfather” and “Indiana Jones.”
Akhumov is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior United States District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton on June 1, 2011. The maximum statutory penalty for criminal copyright infringement is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.