"LOS ANGELES - A man who allegedly used the Internet to distribute Oscar "screener" movies sent to him by a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been arrested in Illinois, authorities said.
FBI agents arrested Russell Sprague, 51, on Thursday after an early morning search of his Homewood, Ill., home turned up hundreds of copies of screener films such as "The Last Samurai," "In America," and "Shattered Glass."
Sprague was to appear in federal court Friday in Chicago to face criminal copyright infringement charges. It is the first arrest in the bootlegging of screeners in the United States, the FBI said.
Agents said the films have been traced back to a longtime Academy member, 69-year-old actor Carmine Caridi, who was described as a friend of Sprague's.
By LINDA MASSARELLA, Associated Press Writer"
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Source: AP
Jan 23, 2004, 05:43 PM
