Online Group Charged With Selling Illegal Software On Warez Scene

Five people in five states have been indicted on charges of conspiring to commit copyright infringement

U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut Kevin J. O'Connor announced that a Grand Jury returned a three-count indictment Tuesday charging five people with participating in an organized online piracy community that engages in large-scale distribution of illegally copied software.

Prosecutors said the defendants participated in the "warez scene," an underground group that provides people with copyrighted software, video games, DVDs, and MP3 files, often before the products are publicly released.

O'Connor said that each warez group specializes in one or more different types of "warez," like games, software, and the like. The groups are thought to compete with one another to attain the reputation as the fastest and best provider of pirated materials.

"Suppliers" upload content, while "crackers," allegedly figure out how to remove digital copyright protections. "Couriers," send the pirated materials to file Internet servers for access, reproduction, and distribution.

Files are stored on "warez sites," with names like The Ethernet Site (TEN), Nite Ranger Hideout (NRH), and The Boxer Rebellion (TBR).

The 17-page indictment charges 53-year-old Dominic Tymorek, of Woodstock, Georgia, and 57-year-old Robert Hardick, of Getzville, N.Y., with three counts of conspiracy.

It also charges 55-year-old Steven Fiatarone, of Spring Hill, Florida, 43-year-old Michael Uszakow, of Oakdale, Minn., with two counts of conspiracy, and it charges 38-year-old William Parrott, of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., of one count of conspiracy.

The defendants' user names in included: kidzapped, iced, niterangr, and tcut. They are accused of trading Symantec Anti-Virus programs, as well as Windows Server Enterprise Edition, among other products. If the defendants are found guilty, they could face up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each count.