California Game Pirate Sentenced, ESA Applauds

San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh handed a Vista, California resident a one-year sentence today on top of $110,000 in fines and restitution for trafficking counterfeit video games. The San Diego CATCH (Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response) team arrested Frederick Brown in June of this year on a tip from the Entertainment Software Association. Brown pleaded guilty in August to two counts of trafficking in counterfeit products, a felony. "Sentences that include jail time send a clear message that violating intellectual property rights is a serious crime with significant consequences and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said ESA intellectual property official Ric Hirsch in a statement responding to the sentence. The San Diego CATCH team found hundreds of pirated video games in Brown's home. He's required to serve 90 days of his one-year sentence in jail, with the rest served in work furlough. Five years of probation, a $100,000 fine and $10,000 in restitution to the ESA, and restricted computer use outside of prison round out the sentencing.