4 Held in Sale of Pirated Software
Four San Gabriel Valley men have been arrested on charges of trafficking in counterfeit Microsoft computer programs, the FBI announced Friday.
The pirated Windows 98, Office 2000 and Windows Millennium programs were imported from Hong Kong and distributed throughout the Los Angeles area at prices substantially lower than wholesale rates, according to a government affidavit.
An undercover FBI operative, for example, was able to buy counterfeit Office 2000 compact discs for $79 apiece from members of the ring, according to the affidavit. Office 2000 retails for as much as $599 a copy.
FBI agents say they seized $10.9 million worth of counterfeit programs when they arrested the four suspects Thursday. The men were identified as Chien Sim Cheh, 29, also known as Ted Chien, of Rowland Heights; Hung Gia Huynh, also known as Raymond Wong, 37, of Baldwin Park; Henry Chi Wong, 28, of Hacienda Heights; and Eddy Chun Yao King, 34, of Rowland Heights.
A fifth suspect, Cheuk Wong, of no known address, is being sought, the FBI said.
Microsoft has been a major target of sophisticated counterfeiters for years. The Windows Millennium edition disks seized during Thursday’s arrests were manufactured with innovative holograms designed by Microsoft to prevent software pirating, according to the FBI.
