back to article Smut-scamming copyright chaser 'fesses up, will do hard time

One of the architects of the notorious Prenda Law copyright-porn scam, John Steele, has admitted that he and Paul Hansmeier made US$6 million out of the operation. Steele's and Hansmeier's approach to wealth creation was ingenious, if nasty: they arranged for smutty films to be seeded onto pirate sites, then pursued …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    God I love America:

    America Fuck Yeah!

    1. Richard Jones 1

      Re: God I love America:

      Is he the sort of entrepreneur the new 'so called president' Trump, (honoured with 'so called after objecting to so called judges questioning his errors) would like to see making money off of Americans?

      Or would he not like the competition?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: God I love America:

        The "so called president" is called that because - let me think, oh yes! He is actually the president. You might not like him (and personally, I think he is a fuckwit and isn't fit to be president) but he is the elected President of the US.

        1. Justicesays
          Facepalm

          Re: God I love America:

          "but he is the elected President of the US"

          The "so called" Judges were also actually appointed Judges.

          What was your point again?

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: God I love America:

            "The "so called" Judges were also actually appointed Judges."

            You've just made my point for me. Trump is the President of the US - not the "so called", but the actual President.

            1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

              Re: God I love America:

              "You've just made my point for me."

              And you've missed the point. If he feels entitled to call duly appointed judges "so-called" then he's equally entitled to get the same appellation applied to himself. What goes around comes around.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: God I love America:

                "What goes around comes around."

                So, behaving the same way as Trump is a good thing? Trump might be at the level of the school yard bully, but shouldn't we try and rise above these childish taunts?

                He might not have any respect for the Judiciary, but by emulating Trump and using appellations such as "so called" when referring to the President of the United States, you are showing contempt not just for the man himself, but to the Office of the President of The US.

        2. Winkypop Silver badge
          Trollface

          Re: God I love America:

          YEAH!

          "The "so called president" is called that because - let me think, oh yes! He is actually the president."

          And what's more, the best damn President that the Russians could afford too!

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: God I love America:

            "And what's more, the best damn President that the Russians could afford too!"

            It could have been just as bad with Clinton, the best damn President Wall St could afford.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: God I love America:

              "It could have been just as bad with Clinton, the best damn President Wall St could afford."

              Lame, riposte is lame.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: God I love America:

                "Lame, riposte is lame."

                Possibly, but no more lame than the claim Trump was bought by the Russians.

                1. Swarthy
                  FAIL

                  Re: God I love America:

                  The lameness is that these two were the best the parties could be arsed to would offer us. One owned (speculatively) by the Russians, who's major criteria for a Cabinet post is how much they donated to his campaign, and the other (speculatively) owned by Wall St, who's policies would have been determined by donations and "favors".

                  And now the US Citizenry is so busy yelling at each other over which Lizard was better (calling the other side "baby killers" and "deplorable") and no one is yelling at the jackals who set us up like this.

                  It's a bit like the kid who want's to stay up, so they ask Mom - she says no. They then ask Dad, adding "mommy said Yes"; Dad says "If Mommy say yes....". Kid now tells Mom that Dad said "Yes". Mom Yells at Dad for undermining her, Dad yells at Mom for yelling at him, neither noticing that while they've been arguing for 45 minutes, the kid has watched half a horror movie.

  2. Dave Harvey
    Happy

    Great to see this

    There's not normally a lot of good news coming out of the USA and it's justice system, but news that these scum are (eventually) getting their come-uppance does actually give me a rare feel-good moment.

    1. dave 81

      Re: Great to see this

      And yet the so call "police" in America engaging in similar entrapment is all legal and fine. Yea, USA is totally great!

  3. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    I'm almost sorry to see this drawing to a close. Ken White's writing on the subject has been massively entertaining although, of course, the victims won't agree.

    1. GrumpenKraut
      Mushroom

      Been waiting for this to happen for quite some time. There was a quite similar case here in Grumpenland, see RedTube (follow the references), the bad guy(s) got off much more lightly.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lawyers

    Does my heart good to hear of lawyers like this getting a custodial sentence.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Lawyers

      Does my heart good to hear of lawyers like this getting a custodial sentence.

      Don't count your chickens before the fat lady sings like a canary in a coal mine. Or something like that.

      He's a lawyer, and a crook, I'm guessing his plea bargain is to plead guilty, so long as he's only told not to do it again.

  5. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Go

    Lawyer doing actual time

    Well deserved.

    This internet version of "Suing for peace" needs to be stomped on.

    Let's see if they can get the money off him.

  6. thomas k

    smoke and mirrors

    Just something to distract us from the fact that lawyers write the laws they then take advantage of to screw the rest of us and to give the illusion that they do police themselves because not even lawyers are above the law.

    1. rjmx
      Pirate

      Re: smoke and mirrors

      Yep. The only reason we need lawyers these days is to defend ourselves from other lawyers.

  7. Tom 38
    WTF?

    No sympathy for this guy

    However:

    Steele has also agreed to waive his right to appeal any sentence up to five years in prison.

    WTF? What kind of conviction includes stripping people of their rights of due process? What kind of appeal would not be immediately struck out for someone who has pleaded guilty to the crime? Ridiculous!

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      Re: No sympathy for this guy

      "What kind of conviction includes stripping people of their rights of due process?"

      What part of "waive" didn't you understand?

      1. Tom 38

        Re: No sympathy for this guy

        I guess the part I don't understand is how it is legally allowed? Can I waive my rights to freedom and sell my self in to slavery? Nope.

        He hasn't voluntarily waived them, he has been beaten in to doing so. The whole plea deal malarkey is contrary to natural justice, because it encourages confession to avoid punitive sentencing. In this case, it is pretty cut and dry, but there have been plenty of innocent people sent to prison because it was not worth risking a longer punitive sentence.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Post-prison programme

    Presumably his first post-prison venture will be hunting down and suing the sharers of the porno vid which will undoubtedly come out of the shower block in whichever institution he's incarcerated in, featuring him as lead.

  9. akeane
    Paris Hilton

    This...

    "comes" as something of anti-"climax"...

  10. Alan Brown Silver badge

    This is a good start

    Unfortunately there are several other outfits who've emulated this activity and there are strong indications that this scam was driven out of Germany anyway.

    IE: The patsies have gone down but not the mothership.

  11. Alistair

    Dammit YEAH.

    Wire fraud.

    This is the one that was being beaten on. Its also territory that needed to be hammered out. No, the case is not precedent, but it was a challenge and it hasn't been struck down. Now there are some teeth to work with against these SOBs that try to use e(black)mail to extort money.

    Also - nice to see this SOB reverting to form and tossing his partner( in crime ) under the bus. Shows where this calibre of human being lives.

    As for *waiving of appeal* - He's waived the right to appeal any sentence under 5 years. Not *all* sentences. Essentially, this says "I'll agree to five years in jail for these crimes along with pleading it out". Essentially saves the court some time and gives the judge an idea of what he( his legal advisors ) think is "acceptable" sentencing.

    Personally, gimme the damn keys, I'll drive *BOTH* buses for these two f@#$%rds.

  12. Fatman

    Prenda <s>lawyer</s> <i>pond scum</i> pleads...

    About fucking time!!!!

    Weld the fucking door shut!

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