10/27/2009

News / Cuban Citizen Extradited from Latvia and Arraigned for Allegedly Trafficking Counterfeit Slot Machines and Computer Programs

Rodolfo Rodriguez Cabrera, 43, a Cuban national, was arraigned today in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada on charges of producing and selling counterfeit International Game Technology (IGT) video gaming machines, commonly known as slot machines, and counterfeit IGT computer programs.

Cabrera and Henry Mantilla, 35, of Cape Coral, Fla., were indicted by a federal grand jury in Las Vegas on April 22, 2009, with one count of conspiracy, two counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, two counts of trafficking in counterfeit labels and two counts of criminal copyright infringement. According to the indictment, Cabrera and Mantilla conspired between August 2007 and April 15, 2009, to make and sell unauthorized copies of computer programs designed for IGT video slot machines and counterfeit IGT video slot machines bearing IGT’s registered trademarks, all without the permission of IGT. The indictment also contains 13 forfeiture allegations seeking forfeiture of any and all counterfeit items and up to $5 million in illegal proceeds from their alleged criminal activity.

If convicted on the conspiracy charge, each defendant faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The copyright infringement and counterfeit labels charges also carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, per count. The charges of counterfeit goods carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine, per count.

Cabrera was arrested June 8, 2009, in Riga, Latvia, and extradited from Latvia to the United States on Oct. 23, 2009. Cabrera is the first individual to be extradited from Latvia to the United States under a new extradition treaty between the U.S. and Latvia, which entered into force on April 15, 2009. Cabrera’s arrest and extradition is the result of cooperation between U.S. and Latvian law enforcement and the Latvian government. At the hearing today, Cabrera pleaded not guilty and U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy A. Leen ordered him detained pending trial, which is scheduled to begin Dec. 8, 2009. Mantilla pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on July 2, 2009, and trial is currently scheduled for Dec. 8, 2009, before U.S. District Court Judge Phillip M. Pro.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Thomas S. Dougherty of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Chu of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada. Significant assistance has been provided by the Central Criminal Police Department of the Latvian Ministry of Interior; Latvia’s Office of the Prosecutor General, International Cooperation Division; and Senior Trial Attorney Deborah Gaynus of the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs.

An indictment is merely a formal charge by the grand jury. Each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2009/October/09-crm-1156.html

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