Movie ‘pirate’ dead in jail cell
p2pnet.net News:- Russell Sprague, the man who acquired more than 130 screeners of Hollywood features including "The Last Samurai" and "Mystic River" and then posted them on the p2p networks, was found dead in a Los Angeles prison cell.
He got the movies from Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member Carmine Caridi, 70, was recently ordered to pay Warner Bros $300,000 for providing Sprague with the copies.
Sprague, 52, was facing three years in jail after pleading guilty to one count of copyright infringement. He was to have been sentenced March 21.
He may have died of a heart attack, the US Marshals Service said, according to Newsday, which adds, “His body was discovered Monday morning and an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.”
The movie industry cartel-owned MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) has just sued an undisclosed number of people whom, it states, shared movies online.
It didn’t say how many were Hollywood insiders, such as Caridi.
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See:-
Newsday – Man Convicted of Copying Oscar Films Dies, March 1, 2005
shared movies online, MPAA sues more movie ‘pirates’, p2pnet. March 1, 2005
Hollywood insiders – Movie industry file sharers, p2pnet. March 1, 2005
March 2nd, 2005 at 2:09 am
He lived and died for the scene. Rest in peace
March 2nd, 2005 at 2:24 am
“Sprague, 52, was facing three years in jail after pleading guilty to one count of copyright infringement. He was to have been sentenced March 21.” Now you know this country is screwed up. Three years for ONE count of infringement? Yet, routinely, people convicted of DWI just get to go home with a fine and a stern talking to.
March 2nd, 2005 at 2:30 am
Yes, O.J. is currently looking to bye a multi million dollar mansion on Cape Cod, yet …. well …. you know
March 2nd, 2005 at 4:29 am
Say Where you from ?
I live in the united states in the state of california and a drinking and driving ticket and other assessments cost an average of $1500 to $5000.
March 2nd, 2005 at 5:13 am
yah they take your car and license on the spot here with a MINIMUM 5000 fine in Ontario, but they dont take your hope or your life away….
despite your comment, this story proves that all is not fair in profits and corporations….
March 2nd, 2005 at 7:29 am
Im dead positive some hollywood film maker got the connection to some sort of ‘organized crime’ group to do this, theres no other explanation.
March 2nd, 2005 at 4:28 pm
Well there is ONE other explaination: this guy who really did nothing wrong (yeah I know, stealing is stealing etc etc bs) was not a real crook who looked lightly on going to jail. He was perhaps so stressed out at the prospect of having his life trashed at middle age that it finally got to him and killed him.
Over 20 years ago the movie companies went thru the same crap but with film copies of movies, dvd having not been invented yet. There were not as many film collectors then as dvd collectors today but those few were harassed terribly in a campaign to destroy film collecting. Many received personal visits from fbi agents. One guy actually did die of a heart attack shortly after the feds scared the shit out of him. He wasn’t charged with anything besides possessing a collection of film prints.He didnt own a theater or make copies. He just liked movies. The mpaa did not offer any apology or even express remorse over his passing and I’m sure they will have little to say about Sprague either. Unless they say “thats what you get when you do evil things” or something similar.
March 3rd, 2005 at 3:29 am
Hi fellas,
Its of course a terrible shame that such a good caring, sharing man has passed away. Especially where he passed away, I think its a real shame that he was seperated from his family at a time like this, I find it so ironic somehow. The other irony is that while the situation kinda sucked jail isnt all that bad and he probably woried himself sick. To his family..
He was a great caring and friendly man, we all hope the very best for the rest of you all. Dont ever hang your heads in shame for this man was innocent blood and believe me he is loved by his protege’s here in the “scene” world. In a world where all 2 many sick things go on and the rich have seemingly different sets of rules for themselves and “us” I hope with the universe’s Karma his tormentors get their just rewards and are now satisfied that you killed a non-violent, loving man who’s biggest crime was sharing movies when you can have compassion for murderer’s on death row because they were only 17 when they killed and buried children alive, or beat a 70-something year old woman to death and then raped her dead corpse and the “hits” just keep on coming. This can all be found in todays news just “google” death row juveniles. Farewell friend, may you have a giant sized Lava TV in Heaven with free “hijacked sattelite”.
March 3rd, 2005 at 5:32 am
this is his son and i just want to say that i think this is one fucked up world….but thank you for regards and im glad that people are remebering him for what he was. he did not deserve this at all…
March 3rd, 2005 at 9:45 pm
Move over hurtful IRS, here comes the MPAA to unseat you as the abusive power! Nothing like buying laws from the best government money can buy ( with all the problems, we still have the greatest country and form of government around! ).
Disney set a precedent a couple years back when they bought the law extending copyright more years than what was written in our government papers. Disney, Michael Eisner, that is, (now coined ‘Big Content’) is just taking the easy way out and stifling new creative forces for steady money revenue streams. Wall St. and the agreements the Board of Directors (i.e. friends of the CEO, CFO, etc.. which are supposed to be protecting and representing the thousands of owners or stock holders (yeah right!)) is so damn short sighted for the good of the nation, but the good of their few wallets!
Why give the big cheeses (CEO, etc..) at the top of the mountain millions of $$ each year to keep the short term stock price high at the cost of long term gains and stifling R&D and new revenue streams?! Can you say Sarbanes Oxley?
Several years ago when the IRS got too powerful and seized people’s assets and businesses “ON THE SUSPICION” (sounds like the Taliban doesn’t it?) on how their religious police kept women down and murdered them and others in cold blood; judge, jury and executioner) of tax evasion (Remember way back when when US law was ‘ innocent until proven guilty…? ‘ ) I remember atleast one person killing himself because the IRS seized all his assets and business without due process of a trial. They just walked right in and took it and closed him down. Now I know why the ACLU pushes back on government abuse of power. Too bad money means more to some people than life itself… Very sad…
We’ll be going the route of the Romans soon. History repeats itself again! So very sad! China, here we come!!