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United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut September 10, 2007 Operation Higher Education: NEW JERSEY MAN INVOLVED IN ONLINE PIRACY RING IS SENTENCED
Kevin J. O’Connor, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALBERT BRYNDZA, also known as “Kortelio,” age 35, of Parlin, New Jersey, was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to three years of probation, the first six months of which BRYNDZA must serve confined to his home. Judge Chatigny also ordered BRYNDZA to pay a fine in the amount of $7500 and to perform 120 hours of community service. On March 8, 2005, BRYNDZA waived indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. This matter stems from a multinational software piracy investigation known as “Operation Higher Education.” According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, between June 1999 and April 2004, BRYNDZA was a participant in the “warez scene,” an underground online community consisting of individuals and organized groups who engage in the large scale reproduction, modification and distribution of copyrighted software over the internet. BRYNDZA was a member of Fairlight and Kalisto, online piracy release groups that specialized in the illegal distribution of computer games, including PC and console games. BRYNDZA has admitted that he built and operated two large servers for use by members of the Fairlight and Kalisto groups (among others) to store and distribute thousands of titles of pirated software and other digital media. From June 2000 to April 2004, Kalisto was responsible for releasing to the warez scene pirated copies of more than 500 well-known, copyrighted computer games, often before the date of their legitimate commercial release. “Operation Higher Education” is the largest component of the global law enforcement action known as “Operation Fastlink,” announced by the Department of Justice on April 22, 2004. Twelve nations participated in “Operation Higher Education.” The investigation yielded searches and seizures of more 70 high-level targets that were conducted in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United States, as well as Great Britain and Northern Ireland. “Operation Higher Education” was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New Haven office in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut and the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (“CCIPS”). Assistant United States Attorney Edward Chang prosecuted this case. CONTACT: U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE |