Jail term for movie pirate Brit
February 8, 2022
By Colin Mann
A British man has been sentenced by a New York court to 22 months in prison after admitting involvement in a global movie piracy ring.
George Bridi had already spent over 17 months in jail since his arrest in Cyprus, and subsequent extradition to the US, over his work for online piracy operation Sparks Group that illegally distributed movies and television shows online.
Bridi pleaded guilty in November 2021 to conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
“Infringement of US copyrights is a big problem in our economy,” stated US District Judge Richard Berman, adding that it was “doubly troubling” that it could be conducted from outside the US.
In addition to imposing the 22-month prison term, Judge Berman ordered the defendant to pay $120,000 in restitution.
Prosecutors had sought a 27- to 33-month prison term, in line with federal sentencing recommendations.