In 2012, the Department of Justice clamped down on Android app piracy and now convictions are being made—along with the announcement of some incredible figures.


The Department of Justice reports that 22-year-old Aaron Blake Buckley from Moss Point, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to counts of criminal copyright infringement and conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Arguably he didn’t have much choice: Between May 2010 through August 2012, he helped run Applanet, distributing over 4 million pirated Android apps that would have retailed for more than $17 million. The site was seized in 2012 by the DoJ.

Gary Edwin Sharp from Uxbridge, Massachusetts—who worked with Buckley—pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement earlier this year. The pair will be sentenced on August 1st.


[DOJ via Engadget]