Thread: TX: Police Seize Thousands Of Pirated DVDs, CDs

Dinner & a Movie: Tacos and Pirated DVD's for sale
POSTED: 9:29 am CDT September 21, 2008

Police Seize Thousands Of Pirated DVDs, CDs

SAN ANTONIO -- Acting on a tip, undercover officers said they seized thousands of illegal DVDs and CDs, as well as the computer lab in which they said they think they were created.

San Antonio police said they also arrested the 48-year-old man who allegedly was selling the pirated copies for $5 each in a restaurant parking lot.

Guillermo Gonzalez Azcona, 48, was taken to the Bexar County Jail Saturday night on a $10,000 bond.

Accused of operating a one-man entertainment store from the back of his van, Gonzalez was arrested Friday night by the San Antonio Police Department's tactical response unit in the parking lot of a small Mexican restaurant along West Commerce.

Police said his van was jammed full of pirated DVDs and CDs, many of which were recent releases.

Gonzales allegedly sold a bootlegged copy of the Batman sequel, "The Dark Knight" to an undercover officer.

Later, SAPD found much more after Gonzalez allowed police to search his apartment.

"That in turn located what was a pirated lab for DVDs -- the computer system (and) the copiers to produce pirated DVDs for illegal sale," Sgt. Wayne Shoquist said.

Police said they also confiscated more than $1,400.

Gonzalez's son said his family doesn't have the money to bail his father out of jail.

His son also said he tried to warn his father several times to stop selling the pirated DVDs.

Unable to work construction because of a back injury, his son said his father, who he described as a decent, Christian man, told him he had no other way to support the family.

Gonzalez is charged with unauthorized record labeling, which is a felony.

Police said they confiscated at least 10,000 bootlegged DVDs and CDs.

http://www.ksat.com/news/17522958/detai ... t&psp=news

Man Arrested for Pirating DVDs

Man had more than 10,000 in his possession

By Jim Forsyth
Sunday, September 21, 2008

You know those annoying messages you have to sit through before watching a DVD movie at home...the one that says 'illegally copying this movie can get you arrested?' They're not joking.

Or, in the case of one man on the city's west side, the Joker wasn't joking.

1200 WOAI news reports a 48 year old man was arrested in the parking lot of a taco house at Zarzamora and West Commerce and charged with selling illegally pirated copies of the hit Batman movie 'The Dark Knight' for $10.

It all began when police got a tip from a confidential informant.

An undercover officer went to the location and found Guillermo Gonzalez-Azcona standing behind a table loaded down with DVD's.

When the officer asked "Tienes Batman?" he said Gonzalez-Azcona replied, "Si, Cinco Dolores."

When the officer bought the DVD, he called in other cops who cuffed Gonzalez-Azcona. But when they got to the man's home in the 700 block of Lombrano Street, they got an eye-opener.

Inside they found a sophisticated movie pirating studio, complete with a ten disc DVD burner, a printer to make authentic-looking labels for the pirated DVDs, and more than ten thousand bootlegged movies, including "The Dark Knight" and other hits, as well as pornography and TV shows.

Apparently, Gonzalez-Azcona's pirating business was successful, cops say they seized $1400 in cash. Detectives say more than sixty copies of bootlegged DVD's were being sold at the man's stand at the taco house.

Now, Gonzalez-Azcona is charged with 'illegal record labeling,' but federal authorities are also expected to step in. Pirating movies, as we have all learned from those 'FBI warnings at the start of DVDs, is a federal offense.

http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/se ... le=4273599