Reagan T. Fondren Acting United States Attorney for the Western District Of Tennessee | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee
Steven R. Hale, a 37-year-old resident of Memphis, pleaded guilty to charges of criminal copyright infringement and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon. The plea was entered before United States District Court Chief Judge Sheryl H. Lipman on May 27, 2025. Interim United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr. made the announcement.
Court documents reveal that from May 2019 to March 2022, Hale was employed by a multinational company in Memphis that manufactures and distributes DVDs and Blu-rays. Between February 2021 and March 2022, he stole hundreds of pre-release DVDs and Blu-rays intended for commercial distribution in the U.S., including titles such as "F9: The Fast Saga," "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," "Godzilla v. Kong," "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "Dune," and "Black Widow." These discs were then sold through e-commerce platforms.
Hale's activities led to at least one pre-release Blu-ray, “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” being illegally copied after bypassing encryption protections and distributed online more than a month before its official release date. This resulted in tens of millions of downloads and an estimated financial loss for the copyright owner in the same range. As part of his plea agreement, Hale agreed to full restitution for his victims and to return approximately 1,160 stolen DVDs and Blu-rays.
In addition to these charges, Hale unlawfully possessed a loaded Sarsilmaz 9mm firearm despite having a prior felony conviction for armed robbery in 2008, for which he served seven years in prison.
Hale is set to be sentenced by Judge Lipman on August 29, 2025. It should be noted that there is no parole option within the federal system.
The investigations were conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Memphis Police Department. The prosecution team includes Senior Counsel Matthew A. Lamberti and Trial Attorney Debra Ireland from the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Raney Irwin from the Western District of Tennessee.
For further details or inquiries regarding this case or other updates from the U.S Attorney’s Office, please contact their Media Relations Team via email at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov or follow them on Facebook or X @WDTNNews.
