05/23/2008

News / OREGON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SELLING COUNTERFEIT SOFTWARE WORTH $1 MILLION

WASHINGTON — An Oregon man pleaded guilty today to selling counterfeit computer
software with a retail value of more than $1 million, in addition to aggravated identity theft and
mail fraud, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Alice S. Fisher and
Karin J. Immergut, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. This case is part of the Justice
Department’s initiative to combat online auction piracy.
Jeremiah Joseph Mondello, 23, of Eugene, Ore., pleaded guilty to one count each of
criminal copyright infringement, aggravated identity theft and mail fraud before U.S. District
Court Judge Ann L. Aiken in Eugene. Mondello faces up to 27 years in prison, a maximum fine
of $500,000 and three years of supervised release. Sentencing has been set for July 23, 2008.
According to documents filed in court, between December 2005 and October 2007,
Mondello initiated thousands of separate online auctions, using more than 40 fictitious
usernames and online payment accounts to sell copies of counterfeit software and receive the
illicit money from those sales. Mondello generated more than $400,000 in personal profit as a
result of the sales.
In addition, Mondello admitted to stealing individuals’ identifying information to
establish online payment accounts in their names. Mondello acquired victims’ names, bank
account numbers and passwords by using a computer keystroke logger program to surreptitiously
obtain this information. The keystroke logger program installed itself on the victim’s computer
and then recorded the victim’s name and bank account information as the information was being
typed. The program then electronically sent the information back to Mondello, and he used this
stolen information to establish the online payment accounts.
Including today’s plea, the Department of Justice has secured 29 convictions involving
online auction and commercial distribution of counterfeit software. The Department of Justice’s
initiative to combat online auction piracy is just one of several steps being undertaken to address
the losses caused by intellectual property theft and hold responsible those defendants engaged in
criminal copyright infringement.
Mondello’s case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber
Crimes Center and offices in Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Medford, Ore. The case is being
prosecuted by Trial Attorney Marc Miller of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and
Intellectual Property Section and Sean B. Hoar, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of
Oregon. The Software and Information Industry Association, a trade association which
represents leading computer software companies, provided significant assistance to the
investigation.
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08-419

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