A Memphis-based employee of a DVD and Blu-ray manufacturing company has been arrested for allegedly stealing and selling pre-release copies of blockbuster films. The suspect, Steven R. Hale, 37, is accused of taking DVDs and Blu-rays from his workplace and distributing them online before their official release dates.
According to court documents, Hale's alleged activities took place between February 2021 and March 2022. The stolen items included popular titles such as “F9: The Fast Saga,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “Godzilla v. Kong,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Dune,” and “Black Widow.” One notable incident involved a digital copy of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which was reportedly distributed tens of millions of times online after being extracted from its Blu-ray format.
The indictment against Hale includes two counts of criminal copyright infringement and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. If found guilty, he could face up to five years in prison for each copyright infringement charge and up to ten years for transporting stolen goods across state lines.
The announcement was made by Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren for the Western District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico from the FBI Nashville Field Office.
The FBI is currently investigating the case, with prosecution led by Senior Counsel Matthew A. Lamberti, Trial Attorney Debra Ireland from the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raney Irwin for the Western District of Tennessee.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.