Pair Held in Brea as Suspects in Counterfeit Software Sale

The president and sales manager of a Brea computer company were arrested Thursday on suspicion of selling counterfeit software to undercover police who received a complaint from computer giant Microsoft Corp.

Brea Police Detective Manuel Ramos said the employees of Entech Computer Inc. sold 3,000 copies of allegedly counterfeited Microsoft programs in exchange for $84,000 during a police sting operation.

After the sale, police arrested Entech President Chi Ming Robert Lin, 35, of Orange and sales manager Karl Richard Schlicht, 53, of Rowland Heights. They were later released on their own recognizance.

Neither man has been formally charged. Police say the investigation is continuing and more arrests may be made soon.

Entech officials refused comment.

“Any comment would be premature at this time,” said a man who answered the company’s phone. He declined to give his name.

Thursday’s undercover operation was conducted after investigators for Microsoft Corp. complained to Brea police that the two men were allegedly counterfeiting its Microsoft-Disk Operating System (MS-DOS), which is used to run personal computers.

Microsoft said it became aware of the alleged counterfeiting after an informant in Florida sent the Redmond, Wash.-based company a sample.