Video Game Pirate Loses Pretty Much Everything Of Value In Piracy Sentencing

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A former Nationwide employee has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison after sending records of his counterfeit games operation to his work email address. Qiang “Michael” Bi, 36, of Powell, Ohio was convicted Wednesday of mail fraud, copyright infringement and aggravated identity theft, and his sentence also carries two years of probation with one year of home confinement after serving prison time, 416 hours of community service and a restitution amount that has yet to be determined.

Investigators found that Bi had sold pirated software from 2005 to December 2009 through eBay, and had sold the games for $10 a piece instead of the typical $20 sticker price. “I believe at your core you are a good person,” said Judge Algenon L. Marbley during Bi’s sentencing. “You made a gross error in judgment … and it seemed all motivated by greed.”

Bi forfeited his house, car, computer and electronics equipment, as well as $367,669 in proceeds from the crimes in order to cover the retail value of the games he counterfeited, which investigators say was around $700,000.