Latest Legal News from the Criminal Courts of Los Angeles, California and the U.S.

FEBRUARY 5, 2007

FORMER ANTELOPE MAN SENTENCED TO 20 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR FRAUDULENTLY OBTAINING MICROSOFT SOFTWARE

Defendant Cracked Code Needed to Activate Software Causing More than $500,000 in Losses

SACRAMENTO -- United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott and Sacramento County
Sheriff John McGinness announced today that DARREN McWAINE, aka Darren Macwangwala,
David Marsh, Dave Watts, and Darren McWayne, age 35, formerly of Antelope, California was sentenced to 20 months in prison for his role in a scheme in which he stole more than $500,000 worth of Microsoft software.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Robin R. Taylor of the Computer Hacking
and Intellectual Property Unit (?CHIPs Unit"), who is prosecuting the case, defendant McWAINE previously admitted in court that from approximately November 1999 through January 2004, he fraudulently activated more than 179 subscriptions of Microsoft Developer Network Software,Universal Edition (MSDN), which was used by developers to create computer products compatible with Microsoft software. The initial subscription for the MSDN retailed at approximately $2,799, and could be renewed annually for approximately $2,299. According to documents filed in court, a legitimate purchaser of the MSDN software would receive a 15-digit Product Identification Numbers (?PID numbers") or activation number from Microsoft which could be used to activate a software subscription via the Internet, phone, or mail. Defendant McWAINE admitted that as part of the fraud, he obtained legitimate PID numbers and then, by manipulating the digits of those numbers, created new and unauthorized PID numbers.

After logging onto Microsoft’s computer, defendant McWAINE would test a PID number
he fraudulently created to determine if it would activate an MSDN subscription. If the PID number he created worked, the computer would generate a certain response. He then used these fraudulently created PID numbers to activate software subscriptions for himself and others, without the permission of, or payment to, Microsoft.

To conceal his identity from Microsoft, McWAINE used more than 15 aliases and multiple false addresses.
The defendant, as part of his sentence, was ordered to make restitution to Microsoft for its losses. Additionally, he will serve a three-year term of supervised release following his prison term.

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CALIFORNIA CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER

JOSEPH SHEMARIA

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Latest Legal News from the Criminal Courts of Los Angeles, California and the U.S.