Annandale Man Sentenced to 36 Months for $2.5 Million in Software Piracy
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Quynh Trong Nguyen, 37, of Annandale, Va., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for selling thousands of units of counterfeit, copyright-infringing computer software. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $2.5 million and a forfeiture money judgment of $1.4 million, which will be partially satisfied by $650,000 in already seized liquid assets.
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; John P. Torres, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Washington, D.C.; and Gary Barksdale, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.
Nguyen pled guilty on Aug. 9, 2012, to copyright infringement. According to court documents, over a three and a half year period, Nguyen sold $2.5 million in copyright-infringing computer software and defrauded more than 2,000 customers. The software, much of which was shipped from overseas, included popular titles, such as Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office, and Autodesk AutoCAD. Nguyen sold the software through Internet websites that he operated from his residence in Annandale, Va. In addition to selling counterfeit software, Nguyen falsely represented to suppliers that he was eligible to purchase and resell educational software in connection with George Mason University. Nguyen altered the educational software, which he later sold at higher prices, by painting over labels and modifying the product packaging.
The case was investigated by HSI and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan K. Dickey and Jay V. Prabhu prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
