6 Arrested in Bootleg Video Ring
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FREMONT — Police seized about 20,000 allegedly pirated videotapes and arrested six people during a three-day sweep of several San Francisco Bay Area video stores.
Officials said the videos amounted to $1.3 million in lost movie industry revenue.
“This is significant. This will have a big impact on video piracy,” said David Dolson of the Motion Picture Assn. of America.
The investigation began in February, 1991, when a store owner complained that he was offered illegally duplicated tapes at discount prices. Police set up a fictitious shop in nearby Union City and bought allegedly bootleg videos from several vendors.
Officers obtained search warrants for 44 stores and began serving the warrants Wednesday. Six people were arrested, including one woman that police said was caught in the act of dubbing 15 copies of the film “Howards End.”
More arrests are expected. Authorities say the six suspects are related to one another and are part of a larger video counterfeiting ring based in Los Angeles.
Each of the six face up to five years in prison if convicted.
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