The US Department of Justice is officially coming for mobile app pirates. After a 2012 seiszure of Snappzmarket and Appbucket, two popular websites that offered pirated Android software, the DOJ has charged four people it believes were behind them.

The four men are facing maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement charges, marking the first time the government has filed criminal charges over illegally distributed mobile software.

"The federal charges presented in this case illustrates the problems facing technology based companies in particular," said FBI special agent Ricky Maxwell, adding that the case "highlights the FBI and US government response to those engaged in such wholesale criminal activity involving the piracy of copyrighted products."

We doubt it'll be the last time.

[The Verge]