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Aberdeen Woman Arrested on Criminal Copyright Infringement Charges for Selling Unauthorized Copies of Sony Games and Movies Over the Internet
March 23, 2001
Katrina C. Pflaumer, United States Attorney for the Western District of Washington, and Charles Mandigo, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Seattle Division, today announced that JILLANN REEVES, age 34, of Aberdeen, Washington, has been arrested based on a criminal Complaint filed in the Western District of Washington, charging her with criminal copyright offenses in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2319 and Title 17, United States Code, Section 506(a)(1).
The Complaint alleges that between March 18, 1999, and March 19, 2001, REEVES, who did business as “KOOLRCDS.COM,” made illegal copies of Sony PlayStation and PlayStation2 games and sold them over the Internet. In a second count of the Complaint, REEVES is charged with selling and distributing unauthorized copies of movies copyrighted by members of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). According to the Affidavit filed in support of the Complaint, visitors to REEVES’ web site could purchase over 2,000 pirated PlayStation, Gameboy and Nintendo software games, PlayStation and Nintendo hardware, modification chips for Sony PlayStation game hardware, and approximately 140 pirated movies. Many of the movies have not yet been released to the public. If convicted, REEVES could face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 fine on each count.
The case was investigated by the Seattle Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the full cooperation and assistance of the following industry representatives: Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. (SCEAI); the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), 1211 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 600, Washington, D.C.; The Electronic Arts (Seattle), Inc., 1040 Main Street, Bellevue, Washington 98004; and The Motion Picture Association of America, 15503 Ventura Boulevard, Encino, California, 91436, which represents member companies (Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, a Division of ABC, Inc. (Disney Enterprises Inc., Miramax, Touchstone), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., Paramount Pictures Corporation, Sony Picture Entertainment, Inc. (Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., TriStar Pictures Inc.), Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Universal City Studios, Inc., Warner Bros., A Division of Time Warner, Entertainment Company, LP (Turner Pictures Corporation) - and their respective subsidiaries) in matters relating to the alleged infringement of the copyright on the various movie titles. The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office, Montesano, Washington, assisted in the search of REEVES’ residence.
Piracy of copyrighted intellectual property costs American businesses millions of dollars a year.
The United States Attorney reminds the public that the Indictment is only a charge and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
For additional information, please contact Stephen Schroeder, Assistant United States Attorney, at (206) 553-7970, or Lawrence Lincoln, Executive Assistant United States Attorney, at (206) 553-4127.
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