'Warez' Pirate Gets 3yrs Probation for Copyright Infringement

Robert Hardick helped maintain "The Boxer Rebellion" warez FTP site, where he was accused of uploading more than 62,000 files and downloading 300.

58 yo Robert Hardick, also known as “tcut,” of Getzville, New York, was sentenced a few days ago by Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns in New Haven, Connecticut to three years of probation, the first six months of which must be served in home confinement, for "conspiring to commit criminal copyright infringement."

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, Hardick and several others helped operate a warez FTP site called "The Boxer Rebellion," which from June 2002 to April 2003 Hardick himself uploaded 62,318 files to and downloaded 310 files from the site, according to the indictment

Hardick faced up to five years in prison had his case gone to trial, so instead he decided to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Of the other co-conspirators indicted, Steven Fiatarone of Spring Hill, Florida, pleaded guilty in July and struck a similar deal to Hardick. Fiatarone, who is awaiting sentencing, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and will not receive a sentence of more than three years' supervised release.

Still pending are the cases of Michael Uszakow of Oakdale, Minnesota; William Parrott of Roanoke Rapids, South Carolina, and DominicTymorek of Woodstock, Georgia.

Considering all the more pressing concerns in this world, to hear of authorities wasting precious federal resources on busting pirates who MADE NO FINANCIAL GAIN FOR THEMSELVES seems like the real criminal act here.

Specifically, Hardick was accused of uploading to another warez site called "The Ether Net" Symantec AntiVirus, Corporate Edition, version 8.0.1, as well as EnSight Gold, version 7.4.1 to "The Boxer Rebellion."

You can read the entire complaint HERE.

[Hat tip to Chris over at PiracyIsACrime]