Police Department, City of New York

11 SUSPECTS ARRESTED TODAY AS PART OF OPERATION COPYCAT II

The Department Announced the Largest Seizure of Bootleg Videos and CDs in the County to Date.

The New York City Police Department's Chief of Detectives William H. Allee today announced that although the movie The Mask of Zoro is not scheduled to open in theaters for another two Weeks, it will also not be playing in anyone's living room anytime soon. The Detective Bureau's Special Services Unit, part of the Intelligence Division, today arrested 11 people for pirating an estimated $100 million dollars of bootleg video tapes and compact discs annually. These arrests are the result of Operation Copycat II, a successful initiative which began as a result of operation Copycat.

The suspects were arrested on various felony charges including counterfeiting and trademark infringement in an operation aimed at dismantling an extensive criminal enterprise. Operation Copycat II brought to a c1ose an illegal manufacturing network that distributed their wares in Washington DC, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Eight locations in Queens and the Bronx which cranked out illegal videos and compact discs, were shut. Chief Allee also announced that today's seizure of illegal video tapes and CDs is the largest in the country to date.

Joining Chief Allee were The Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, the Departments Commander of the Intelligence Division Daniel Oates, Senior Vice President and Director of Worldwide Anti Piracy for the Motion Picture Association of America Ric Hirsch, Supervisor in Charge of the New York Office of the Motion Picture Association of America William J. Shannon; and Coordinator of Investigative Operations of the Recording Industry Association of America Frank Walters.

"This successful investigation, including 11 arrests and the seizure of hundreds of thousands of dollars of pirated contraband, is the result of the City's commitment to shutting down illegal counterfeit operations which are the mainstay of organized crime," said New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir. "These arrests have effectively dismantled a large illegal network which preyed upon and profited at the expense of all New Yorkers."

"Every year hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are duped into buying substandard and inferior counterfeit videos," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. "Some people have suspicions about their origins but buy them anyway thinking they are a bargain while others believe they've bought the real thing and are totally hoodwinked. Aside from ripping off the public, criminal enterprises like those raided today cost the motion picture industry an estimated $2.5 billion worldwide each year in potential revenue because of motion picture piracy and legitimate video dealers suffer enormous losses as a result of the unfair competition of those engaging in the sale and rental of pirated products. And, in addition, both the City and the State lose millions of dollars in sales tax revenue," Judge Brown added.

"Piracy is a moral and economic crime," said Jack Valenti, President and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America. "Today's actions send a strong message to all those who steal from our companies. If you steal what is not yours, we will pursue you and you will pay the consequences. We commend the efforts of the NYPD and the Queens District Attorney. We are grateful for their zeal and determination to eradicate piracy,"' Mr. Valenti added.

"The MPAA estimates that video piracy costs the motion picture companies more than $250 million in lost revenue annually and this operation alone is estimated in excess of $75 million in lost revenue," said Ric Hirsch, Senior Vice President and Director of Worldwide Anti-Piracy for the MPAA. "This joint investigation by the NYPD's Intelligence Division, the Queens District Attorney, the Recording Industry Association of America and our investigators from the MPAA demonstrates the ability of law enforcement and the private sector to successfully work together to combat video piracy," Mr. Hirsch added.

"This type of illegal activity results in an estimated $300 million a year loss in revenue to the recording industry, and that's just the domestic loss," said Frank Walters, Coordinator of Investigative Operations of the Recording Industry Association of America. "Due to the loss of revenue, the taxpayers are affected because legitimate retailers are unable to fairly compete with the pirates. The public losses in general due to the quality of the unauthorized sound recordings."

Based on the success of Operation Copycat in May, detectives from the Special Services Unit continued their investigation and established links to 8 locations illegally cranking out videos and compact discs. This morning, the NYPD executed 8 search warrants shutting 7 locations in Queens and 1 in the Bronx and making 11 arrests.

Police seized 5 highly sophisticated sound recording devices that were able to produce 7 CDs simultaneously every 12-18 minutes These machines were operating 7 days a week, 24 hours a day and were capable of producing over 4,300,000 CDs a year. Detectives also confiscated 900 video reproduction machines. Among the thousands of bootleg theater quality videos police seized were The Mask of Zoro, Dr. Doolittle, the X Files, A Perfect Murder, Truman, Out of Sight and Mulan. Some of the compact discs confiscated were recordings by Selena, Mariah Carey and Tupac Shakur as well as the sound track from the motion picture Titanic. The video tapes have a street value of $8 each while the CDs have a street value of $10 each.

At the announcement, Chief of Detectives William Allee thanked the Department's Intelligence Division and the participating agencies for their roles in the successful operation.

Arrested at 50-06 94th St., Corona:

Jimmy Garcia, 32 - 2334 Whitestone Ave., Bronx

Graciano Garcia, 24 - 2435 Crespo Ave., Bronx

Arrested at 18-22 26th Rd., Astoria:

Ahmed Threa, 45, Ahmed Qatange, 57 - 18-22 26th Rd., Astoria

Arrested at 135-36 Kew Gardens Rd., Kew Gardens:

Mahmood Mohamed, 35, Shamella Mohamed, 34, Afzal Mohamed, 29, Sumint Rado Rugmoulth, 28, Sunil Nanban, 26

Arrested at 132-02 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica:

Razeeka Baksh, 29 - 89-21 175th St., Jamaica

Arrested at 107-27 135th St., Ozone Park:

Samed Abdul, 54 - 77 Irving Ave., Brooklyn