Xbox Pirate Jailed

[News]

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Xbox mod chips. They're readily available to the public and there are plenty of places to get them fitted, or your Xbox modded in general. One such retailer, Maryland based, Pandora's Cube were modding the Xbox, pre-loading them with pirated games and selling them to the public. They have now been sentenced to 5 months in prison and fined nearly US$250,000.

Pandora's Cube owner Biren Amin will also serve five months of home confinement and 80 hours of community service, a harsh sentence that clearly intends to discourage piracy in the states.

Amin's Xbox's featured a chip to bypass copyright and security measures, as well as a larger hard drive pre-installed with video games. He is the fourth person involved with Pandora's Cube to be convicted, and faces the stiffest sentence. Store manager Hitesh Patel was sentenced to four months in prison and house arrest, while managers Herbie Walker and Mguresh Amin faced only community service and house arrest.

ESA president Douglas Lowenstein said the sentence serves as a "clear warning for others contemplating computer and video game piracy." Lowenstein is currently also fighting violent video games laws which were recently approved by state legislature in California and Illinois.

Source: GP

[Natoksane]

That just plain stinks.

[D3TON8R]

Shouldn't have been pirating.....you break it, you serve it. Tis only fair.....:)

[EclipseSix]

80 years of community service??? Is that correct? Seems a bit... illogical

[D3TON8R]

Illogical yes, true yes. The fine basically ensures he spends the rest of his life doing community service. The new laws and punishments are being placed to put people off pirating/hacking.....and with rediculous punishments like that, it might just work....

[Yeldarb]

Yeah, Amin was sentenced to 80 HOURS of community service. That's hours, not years.

[D3TON8R]

Sssshhhh! 80 Years sounds way more extreme! lol

[Yeldarb]

80 years would be brutal. It would be easier just to take a jail sentence.

"I'm sorry, your honor, that doesn't work for me. How does 30 years in a federal minimum-security prison sound?"

[EclipseSix]

Thats what I thought, 80 years seemed way too out there, lol. 80 hours is even a lot if yuo're only working a few hours a day. but then i guess if youwork 10 hours a day, 8 days and you're done... bleh, w/e.

[Steve Harcum]

Pirating is wrong, but G*D D**N, seriously. Parolling rapists and violent offenders to make room for game pirates...I mean they're not even real pirates. Joking aside, the fine and the jail sentence are ludicrous...pirating will continue, this man's reputation in the world has been smeared, and a repeat rapist will end up back in jail in his place after ruining a woman or girl's life. Sorry, I just hate stiff sentences due to a jack ass in a suit in tie who thinks he's being "tough on piracy" to get himself a nice paycheck. It's how the system works. Not by morals but by a big fat $. I agree he needs to be punished for such an offense...but make it reasonable; a punishment fitting the crime. Do you honestly believe this man is responsible for a loss of $250,000 in pure profit for any of the companies involved? House arrest, temporarily, sure. Jail, hell no. Sorry for the rant, probably becuase I study criminal justice and homeland security at school.

[EclipseSix]

While I personally don't disagree with the jail time, I'malso biased because I think its retarded to mod an xbox for any reason. Whats wrong with it stock? I mean, seriously, you want to mod stuff, buy a fricken PC ffs.

[riel]

Pirating is not illegal where I live but selling the product is. But that guy was selling the pirated games so he got what he deserved.

[Steve Harcum]

Pirating is not illegal where I live but selling the product is. But that guy was selling the pirated games so he got what he deserved.


"They have now been sentenced to 5 months in prison and fined nearly US$250,000."

Dude....you're f***ing insane :wall:

[Celeron Gamer]

Pirating is wrong, but G*D D**N, seriously. Parolling rapists and violent offenders to make room for game pirates...I mean they're not even real pirates. Joking aside, the fine and the jail sentence are ludicrous...pirating will continue, this man's reputation in the world has been smeared, and a repeat rapist will end up back in jail in his place after ruining a woman or girl's life. Sorry, I just hate stiff sentences due to a jack ass in a suit in tie who thinks he's being "tough on piracy" to get himself a nice paycheck. It's how the system works. Not by morals but by a big fat $. I agree he needs to be punished for such an offense...but make it reasonable; a punishment fitting the crime. Do you honestly believe this man is responsible for a loss of $250,000 in pure profit for any of the companies involved? House arrest, temporarily, sure. Jail, hell no. Sorry for the rant, probably becuase I study criminal justice and homeland security at school.


I don't think everything is based on money IMO, I am not sure about your views, but every government/ man in a suit is about money. I don't see the need to lighten the punishment, 250K, and 5 months in prison is pretty light. As most rapist get life sentences. Crime is on the rise, and I don't think lightening punishments for ANYTHING is going to help.

[Steve Harcum]

I don't think everything is based on money IMO, I am not sure about your views, but every government/ man in a suit is about money. I don't see the need to lighten the punishment, 250K, and 5 months in prison is pretty light. As most rapist get life sentences. Crime is on the rise, and I don't think lightening punishments for ANYTHING is going to help.


I used to think the same thing. After majoring in criminal justice in college my opinions have changed. Rapists DO NOT get life on average. Hundreds and thousands of rapists get PAROLED every year. On average, its estimated 70-80% display severe recidivism. They go back and rape more people. Studies prove that for every 1 person a rapist/child molester is caught for, they have done the same to 12-15 others without being caught. They are animals. The reason these people recieve stiff sentences and are parolled early are to make room for more people in prisons (obvious fact). For every rapist/violent criminal parolled, they are replaced 60% of the time by a non-violent offender (I.E. Pirate, guy with a couple ounces of weed, White collar criminal). These are all based on U.S. government surveys and statistics. I don't mean to convey that pirates, etc. should not be punished, only that the level of punishment should better fit the crime. Also: It should be mentioned that this guy is not going to go to prison, but jail (there is HUGE difference). Jail=< 1 year. Prison=1 year or >