University graduate Jeff Stockton could spend up to five years in prison after he agreed to a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to copyright infringement in U.S. District Court in Eugene last week.
Stockton, 21, could also face up to $250,000 in fines and a three-year probation period for illegally copying and selling Adobe Systems software while he was a University student. He pleaded guilty Jan. 30, and will be sentenced in Eugene April 17.
Eugene police, working with Oregon State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, raided Stockton’s apartment, post office box, car and bank account on Jan. 13 as part of a massive, year-long undercover investigation.
Officers seized pirated software, $4,600 in cash and computer equipment from his apartment — and an additional $9,000 from his bank account.
Stockton, who is now living in Honolulu, Hawaii, declined to comment.
According to court documents, Stockton sold pirated CD-ROMs with Adobe programs such as Photoshop to fellow University students and others using an alias on the Internet. Court documents estimated Adobe’s retail loss at $490,644.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Hoar said it is unlikely the judge will convict Stockton to five years in prison, but the sentence could be harsher than normal state guidelines, because of the extensive planning involved in Stockton’s piracy operation.