Crooks steal page from RIAA book
p2pnet news | crime:- Four US prison inmates took a page from the Copyright Crime fiction book written and published by Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal and Sony BMG.
The Big 4, all members of the organised music cartel, have been unsuccessfully trying to blackmail their own customers into buying Big 4 product, and only Big 4 product, by falsely accusing them of being so-called copyright criminals.
Now four genuine copyright crooks, Russell Dean Landers, Clayton Heath Albers, Carl Ervin Batts and Barry Dean Bischof, have been accused, “of trying to blackmail their way out of jail after copyrighting their names” and then demanding payment from jail officials, “for using them without permission,” says The Telegraph.
They’re alleged to have sent demand notices for payment to the warden of the El Reno federal prison in Oklahoma City and filed claims against his property, says the story, going on:
They then hired someone to seize his vehicles, freeze his bank accounts and change the locks on his house.
Believing the warden’s property had been seized, the inmates allegedly said they would not return it unless they were released from prison, according to the indictment.
However, the scheme was foiled and ironically, coming to the warden’s rescue, in much the same way it often acts as a taxpayer-funded copyright enforcement agency for the entertainment cartels, was the FBI
The person, “supposedly hired by the four inmates turned out to be an undercover FBI agent,” said prosecutors, according to Associated Press, which adds:
“The four men and William Michael Roberson, 50, of Baton Rouge, La., were indicted on accusations of conspiring to impede the duties of federal prison officials, Richter said. Roberson is accused of assisting the four inmates in the scheme, which allegedly took place in late 2003 and early 2004. All five were also indicted on charges of mailing threatening communications with the intent to extort.
“The conspiracy count carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The mail charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.”
Also See:
The Telegraph – Prisoners try to copyright their escape plan, July 19, 2007
Associated Press – Inmates accused of hatching copyright scheme to extort warden, July 18, 2007
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