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Software pirate gets six years

Florida man must also pay $4.1 million to Adobe and Autodesk, and give up assets obtained through his profits.

Anne Broache Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Anne Broache
covers Capitol Hill goings-on and technology policy from Washington, D.C.
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Anne Broache

A Florida man who pleaded guilty to copyright charges in connection with multimillion-dollar sales of pirated Autodesk, Adobe Systems and Macromedia software was sentenced Friday to six years in prison. Danny Ferrer, 37, of Lakeland, Fla., offered CD copies of the products, packaged with a serial number necessary for activation, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday. He did this through a Web site called BuysUSA.com, from late 2002 until it was shut down by the FBI in October 2005.

As part of his sentence, which begins Sept. 30, Ferrer must pay more than $4.1 million in restitution to the software makers. He must also continue to sell all the assets he procured with his profits, which, according to the FBI, include a Lamborghini, a Hummer, two Corvettes, two Cessna planes, a helicopter, a motor boat and an ambulance.