Have yee heard of Black Beard Bi?!

​In the wake of my "Pirating" post from yesterday, this recent bit of news felt like a decent follow-up to fill would-be plunderers in on the consequences of their devious actions.

 

According to The Columbus Dispatch, Quian "Michael" Bi recently had the whole damn book thrown at him, losing his house, car, $350,000 and more than two years of his free life following a recent conviction in his software piracy case.

 

Apparently not the brightest pirate on deck, Bi reportedly sent a spreadsheet outlining the activities of his counterfeit sales to his email account where he works, a branch of Nationwide Insurance. Once his employers discovered the email, the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspectors were brought onboard to investigate, discovering Bi had been copying and selling pirated games since 2005, an operation bearing a retail price of about $700,000.

 

Bi was sentenced earlier this week, totaling $367,669 and including his house, car, all equipment involved in the operation and 2.5 years in federal prison.

 

So, what have we learned? That's right! Crime doesn't pay. Also, don't email yourself incriminating documents. That's just stupid.