eBay Seller Jailed over Fake Software

By Nick Mokey Published July 25, 2008

eBay Seller Jailed over Fake Software — Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you thought the worst that could come of scamming people on eBay was a slew of bad feedback and a boot from the site, you may want to pull down your collection of fake Beanie Babies now. One Portland man now faces four years in federal prison [PDF] as a result of a counterfeit software operation he operated through eBay.

Jeremiah Mondello reportedly made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling pirated software through eBay, using 40 different fictitious identities and stolen bank account information to conceal his identity. The Software & Information Industry Association, an anti-piracy group, became wise to Mondello’s game in 2007 and tipped off the Department of Justice with information that led to his arrest.

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Mondello pleaded guilty in May to copyright infringement, mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. Besides his four-year jail sentence, he’ll also serve three years probation after release, perform 450 hours of community service, and lose the $220,000 and computers that were seized during his arrest.

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