Modesto Man Sentenced to Prison for Counterfeit Media Conspiracy

FRESNO, CA—Mariano Vega Hernandez, 25, of Modesto, was sentenced on Monday by Chief United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to three years and 10 months in prison for conspiring to traffic in counterfeit media, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

According to court documents, between April 2011 and July 25, 2011, Hernandez conspired with others to manufacture counterfeit DVDs in the garage of a co-defendant’s residence in Modesto. Hernandez was paid for manufacturing the DVDs and operating a warehouse in Modesto that was used as a storage and distribution area for the DVDs. Hernandez supplied thousands of counterfeit music CDs and motion picture DVDs to individuals that came to the Modesto warehouse for ultimate resale to the public. He also operated vendor stands every week at the Modesto 7th Street Flea Market The total retail value of copyrighted media that was counterfeited in the conspiracy exceeded $2 million.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, with assistance from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry Z. Carbajal, III prosecuted the case.