Last Thursday, a former employee of a multinational DVD and Blu-ray manufacturer and distributor was sentenced to 57 months in prison, nearly five years, for stealing DVDs and Blu-rays of "blockbuster movies" and selling them before their release dates.
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According to the Justice Department, 38-year-old Steven R. Hale of Memphis, Tennessee, worked for the DVD manufacturer. From February 2021 to March 2022, Hale stole more than 1,000 discs that were being prepped for commercial distribution in the U.S.
Some of the movies included are "Dune," "F9: The Fast Saga," "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," "Godzilla v. Kong," "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," and "Black Widow." Hale sold the DVDs and Blu-rays—that were not yet available to the public—through e-commerce sites.
Perhaps the most significant loss happened when Hale ripped a copy of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and then made it available as an illegal download more than a month before the Blu-ray's official release date. The movie was downloaded tens of millions of times. While the DOJ release said Hale created an estimated loss of tens of millions of dollars to the copyright owner, the court document from the plea deal says "the infringement amount is more than $15,000 and not more than $40,000."
Hale pleaded guilty in May 2025 to criminal copyright infringement and agreed to make full restitution to his victims, which included returning some 1,160 stolen DVDs and Blu-rays.
Hale was also charged with unlawful possession of a pistol. Hale has prior felony convictions for armed robbery and attempted robbery, and he had a firearm loaded with one live round in the chamber and 13 rounds in the magazine.
Hale also pleaded guilty in the gun case, which was merged with the DVD case for sentencing.
In a statement, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said the sentencing displayed the DOJ’s “commitment to protecting American innovation from pirates that would exploit others’ work for a quick profit.”
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