More than 50,000 pirated movies with an estimated street value
of approximately $250,000 were removed from a residence in the
12000 block of Sycamore Avenue on Sunday morning, according to
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Don Morrissey.
More than 50,000 pirated movies with an estimated street value of approximately $250,000 were removed from a residence in the 12000 block of Sycamore Avenue on Sunday morning, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Don Morrissey.
A 27-year-old man was booked into Santa Clara County Jail for allegedly counterfeiting a trademarked product, which is a felony charge. Morrissey said the name of the man is not being released yet because the investigation is ongoing. The Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team Task Force will be investigating the possibility of a piracy ring.
Deputies discovered the copied DVDs when they responded to the residence because a 911 hang-up call originated there at approximately 10:40 a.m. The suspect told deputies he did not call 911 and didn’t know why the call was made, Morrissey said, but to make sure there was no one at the home in danger, deputies asked for permission to search the residence. During a search authorized by the suspect, deputies saw boxes of blank DVDs, as well as several of what Morrissey described as “sophisticated” DVD copying machines. They then found copies of several movies currently in theaters, including “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Beowulf,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” “National Treasure Book of Secrets” and “The Golden Compass.”
Morrissey said the suspect admitted to pirating the DVDs and selling the illegal copies.
