Bruce Alan Edward, 49, of Atlanta, Michigan, was convicted Tuesday of criminal copyright infringement and mail fraud, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.
McQuade was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Marlon Miller, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
After a one-week trial, a federal jury returned guilty verdicts finding the defendant guilty of two counts of criminal copyright infringement and one count of mail fraud.
Edward was charged with both criminal copyright infringement and mail fraud after selling more than 2,500 counterfeit copies of copyrighted Microsoft software valued at more than 1 million dollars retail. From about May 11, 2008, until approximately Sept. 16, 2010, Edward purchased counterfeit Microsoft software from various suppliers located primarily in China, Singapore and the United States, and sold them on eBay to unwitting buyers.
"Online consumers should beware of counterfeit goods and products of inferior quality," McQuade said. "We hope this prosecution will raise awareness and deter these kinds of fraud schemes."
Edward will be sentenced March 20, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Thomas Ludington.
The case was prosecuted by the Bay City and Flint branches of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division, United States Department of Justice and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) branch located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and HSI Intellectual Property Rights Center located in Arlington, Virginia.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
