ICE Says Man Gets 57 Months for Movie Copyright Infringement, Etc.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has announced that Saidou Dia, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release on charges relating to a large-scale bootleg movie business, and failing to register as a sex offender1. He pleaded guilty in August 2011.
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Created Counterfeit and Bootleg Copies of Movies for Distribution & Sale
According to court documents, Dia created counterfeit and bootleg copies of movies for distribution and sale at his residence; his business "Dia's House of Beauty"; and other locations where he received materials for making counterfeit movies and where he stored inventory.
ICE Seized 6,400 Counterfeit Movies, 10 DVD-Burning Towers, Etc.
About 6,400 counterfeit movies were seized in May 2011 as part of the investigation. Also seized were 10 DVD-burning towers capable of producing nearly 90 bootleg movies simultaneously, and numerous counterfeit movie labels and related packaging materials. In addition to the evidence seized in May 2011, Dia was previously involved in a large-scale counterfeit movie operation in Ohio in June 2008.
1Dia was convicted in 2005 of having unlawful sexual contact with a minor in Ohio and was required to register as a sex offender. Dia moved to Missouri, where he was living in 2010 and 2011, and failed to register as a sex offender, as required by law.