Arkansas Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Counterfeit Garmin Maps

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – An Arkansas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to selling counterfeit Garmin maps over the Internet, Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

William Yates, 26, Fort Smith, Ark., pleaded guilty to one count of copyright infringement. In his plea, he admitted selling map products that were copyrighted by Garmin. Garmin International, Inc. is located in Olathe, Kan.

Yates sold counterfeit Garmin map cards on eBay, Amazon and Craigslist. An investigator with the FBI purchased cards from Yates.

He sold at least 874 counterfeit map products for more than $23,000. The products were valued at more than $67,000.

Sentencing will be set for a later date. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask for their work on the case.