By Danny Fenster
ticklethewire.com
In June of last year the feds shut down the website NinjaVideo.net, which let millions of viewers see copyright-protected movies and television programs in high-quality formats for free or for a nominal fee.
On Thursday, one of the site’s founders, Hana A. Beshara of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty in Alexandria, Va. to conspiracy and criminal copyright infringement. Sentencing is set for Jan. 6.
Beshara admitted the site collected more than $500,000 in overall proceeds over its two-and-a-half-year existence, and that she earned more than $200,000. Beshara agreed to forfeit assets seized by law enforcement in the June 2010 raid “including cash, an investment brokerage account, two bank accounts, a Paypal account and one Internet advertising account,” according to a Justice Department press release.
A press release from the Justice Department said:
“The NinjaVideo.net website allowed visitors to download infringing copies of hundreds of television shows and movies, including those still playing in theaters and some that had not yet been released in theaters. Website visitors could download much of the infringing content for free, but visitors who “donated” at least $25 obtained access to private forum boards that contained a wider range of infringing material.”
