Fresno Man Sentenced To Prison For Conspiring To Sell Counterfeit DVD Movies And Other Media

FRESNO, Calif. — Senior United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii sentenced Jose Antonio Hernandez, 42, of Fresno, today to three years and four months in prison, for manufacturing and trafficking counterfeit CDs and DVDs, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.

On May 19, 2014, Hernandez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and traffic in counterfeit labels and counterfeit documentation and packaging.

According to court documents, from July to September 18, 2012, Hernandez was involved in an extensive scheme with other co-conspirators to store and distribute thousands of counterfeit DVD movies and audio CDs. Hernandez sold counterfeit movie DVDs and CDs, including some movies that had not yet been commercially distributed. Hernandez also admitted to manufacturing counterfeit DVD movies.

“As this sentence makes clear, Hernandez and criminals like him are a direct threat to the entertainment industry and to all of the hardworking people involved in the industry,” said Nick Annan, acting special agent in charge of HSI San Francisco. “Those involved in intellectual property theft don’t invest in product development; they don’t put a premium on product quality or safety. All they do is get rich at someone else’s expense. Intellectual property thieves should be aware that HSI and our law enforcement partners will use every available tool to keep them from profiting from the theft of others’ products, creativity, ideas and hard work.”

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorneys Henry Z. Carbajal III and Patrick R. Delahunty are prosecuting the case.