Md. Man Pleads Guilty In Software Piracy Case
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- A former NASA employee has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in an alleged copyright infringement scheme led by two Chinese nationals.
Cosburn Wedderburn, 38, of Windsor Mill, Md., faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday. Federal prosecutors say he purchased more than $1 million worth of stolen software.
Authorities also said Xiang Li and Chun Lan Li have been charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy, copyright infringement, smuggling, wire fraud, interstate transportation of stolen goods and other crimes.
Prosecutors allege that the defendants reproduced and distributed copyrighted software produced by more than 150
manufacturers before Xiang Li was arrested in Saipan last year. The charges involve a website called "Crack 99" that sold pirated software in which the access control mechanisms had been "cracked," or circumvented.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
