4 Charged in Software Counterfeiting

Three San Gabriel Valley men and a Los Angeles man have been charged with producing counterfeit Microsoft computer software, a scam that could have cost the corporation more than $3 million in lost software sales, deputies said.

Arrested Friday were Chew Ping Kwan, 25, of Alhambra; Gin Ping Kwan, 26, of Alhambra; Kim Fong Chean, 26, of Temple City, and Kim Fee Chean, 24, of Los Angeles. They are being held at men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles in lieu of $1-million bail each. It was not known whether the Kwans or Cheans are related.

Detectives arrested the men after selling them holograms used to authenticate the computer programs, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman Matthew C. Rodriguez said.

Sheriff’s deputies later conducted a search warrant at an Alhambra home and found more than 20,000 counterfeit software packages. They also found counterfeit certificates of authenticity, a shrink-wrapping kit and a semiautomatic handgun, Rodriguez said.