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MPAA Under Investigation for Illegal NYPD Payoffs
An anonymous reader writes "The New York Post is reporting that two NYPD officers are being investigated for taking illegal payoffs from the MPAA for busting sellers of pirated DVDs. According to the article, MPAA investigators would tell the cops where pirated movies were being sold, which is perfectly legal, but, after the bust, they'd give them several hundred dollars in gratuities, which is illegal. Naturally, the MPAA denies all of this."
I'm all for free movies, but when people sell them, they should get arrested. :)
Save the bandwidth for me.
For a rightious organisation out to protect the lawfull rights of artists they have a rather odd way of practice
perpetually dwelling in the -1 pits
"The Motion Picture Association of America estimates that it loses $3.5 billion in potential worldwide revenue because of movie piracy."
Surely the can't expect that their raids of arrests will provide them with more sales.
Where they thinking that as long they're already on the red number side, they could just buy themselves some police forces?
Scully: Should we arrest David Copperfield?
Mulder: Yes we should, but not for this.
I don't know who's worse: people paying cops to enforce the law, or cops that won't enforce it unless you pay them extra.
April 21, 2005 -- Two NYPD veterans are being investigated by Internal Affairs for allegedly accepting payoffs from the motion-picture industry to arrest vendors of pirated DVDs, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
One officer, a sergeant on the force since 1992, has been transferred from the Staten Island Task Force to the 122nd Precinct pending the internal investigation.
The other, a cop for five years, still works on the task force.
As members of the unit, the officers, ages 36 and 32, would arrest the sellers of illegal DVDs and confiscate their stock.
Often they would act on tips from investigators with the Motion Picture Association of America, many of whom are former cops, sources said.
There is nothing improper about that practice. But on at least four occasions in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island, the task force officers arrested the vendors, confiscated the illegal movies and then allegedly received gratuities of several hundred dollars from the MPAA itself or its investigators, the source said.
The MPAA strongly denied that the payoffs came from the trade organization.
"We don't give cash to police officers," said Bill Shannon, an MPAA anti-piracy official.
"We work with law-enforcement organizations by providing information and logistical support, and the police make the arrests."
No department charges have been filed against the NYPD officers, and neither is on modified duty.
The Staten Island Task Force last made headlines in 2003, when one of its members, Officer Bryan Conroy, allegedly shot and killed Ousmane Zongo, an unarmed African immigrant, inside a Manhattan storage warehouse.
Conroy and other officers were at the warehouse to bust DVD pirates.
Zongo, who spoke little English, was an innocent bystander. Conroy's trial earlier this year ended in a hung jury. He will be retried this summer.
The Motion Picture Association of America estimates that it loses $3.5 billion in potential worldwide revenue because of movie piracy.
Hollywood has stepped up its effort to bust video and DVD pirates.
An MPAA tip, for example, led to the recent prosecution of Randy Guthrie, the black sheep of a blueblood New York family, who was recently sentenced to 21/2 years in a Chinese jail for selling nearly $1 million in pirated movies over the Internet.
Telemarketer called you; you're on the do not call list?
click here
So where do you draw the line between tipping an officer for doing you a "favor" and bribing him to do you a "favor"?
Is it true that more people vote for the winner of American Idol, than vote for the president? -Ali G.
The MPAA giving to someones campaign funds is perfectly legal, lets say a Police Chief, who then in turn is tough on copyright crimes.
Yup, business as usual.
FTA: Two NYPD veterans are being investigated by Internal Affairs...
From title: MPAA Under Investigation for Illegal NYPD Payoffs
So, who's under investigation here?
Uh.. No Officer.. I just read it on slashdot that you accept cash.
hilarious
The MPAA and the RIAA will stop at nothing to protect their monopolies. These 2 corrupt officers are just a tip of the giant iceberg of people that recieve huge sums from the MPAA and RIAA. Some others - Several politicians, Virus writers. Yes they employ these people to create nastyware to disrupt p2p networks. and many many more people are bribed by these organizations. The MPAA and the RIAA are among the most corrupt organizations in America. And the blatantly lie about their the root cause of their losses almost every year. It is about time they are investigated but I fear they may buy out the investigation.
No, no; a lot of other bands are being copied too, not just Ludacris.
Then you get a situation where whoever pays the cops the most gets the most justice.
We already have a problem with police going after more high profile crimes involving a lot of money, rather than going after less high profile crimes which involve less money but more harm to the individual.
For example, if a little old lady is scammed out of $10,000 by a guy who says he will fix her leaking roof, that causes her a lot of harm.
In contrast, if someone distributes music online and costs the music industry $100,000, which is highly unlikely, the police will go after those guys with more vigor, even though the music industry won't feel the sting of that guy's actions much if at all.
I agree completely... and I also can't understand why we tip the servers at restaurants... I mean, if they don't do a good job shouldn't they just be fired?
I Love Alberta Beef
Perhaps the reason the MPAA and RIAA is loosing 3.5 billion is because spending the money on bent officials?
Shill!
So where do you draw the line between tipping an officer for doing you a "favor" and bribing him to do you a "favor"?
You don't.
So where do you draw the line between tipping an officer for doing you a "favor" and bribing him to do you a "favor"?
I tip
You bribe
The MPAA induces massive police corruption
They may be bad, but they do not have monopolies. By definition, they can't be with all the freely available, legal non-pirated non-MPAA/RIAA films and music out there.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Living in New York is an expensive lifestyle. But on the other hand, New York cops really seem to enjoy themselves when it comes to corruption. Take for example last year's Republican convention. New York Cops did their best to round up thousands of people, stick them in an asbestos contaminated concentration camp and then charge them with crimes they never committed.
The Banno Story - Corrupt nyc cops lie, the DA encourages and participates in the lies.. get caught red handed
Police Perjurers
another story related to the new york DA editing/manipulating video tapes
Google the story, hundreds of cases have been dropped because the Police were inventing stories that never happened and then having the DA charge innocent people with full knowledge.
If they don't think the job is worth the pay then they need to look for a job that does.
the MPAA breaking the law to enforce the law. oh the irony.
People have been saying for years that the MPAA need to try harder to stop piracy before the movies get leaked. Closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Maybe it's time they started listening.
Business Voyeur
The wolf reveals it's true colours. Now do the same to the RIAA and throw all their court cases out untill further investigate (which will lead to price fixing and various other crimes being "discovered"). And since it's been proven that this companies buy people off it'll be impossible to buy off the judge/jury because people wille xpect it and if it seems fishy it'll be looked into.
Good game gentleman. You lose this round and hopefully won't come back.
I like muppets.
Why is it that this makes me want to do a little happy dance? :)
I bet the MPAA thought that while their actions might have been *technically* illegal, they certainly weren't hurting anybody.
Sound familiar?
Sugapablo
New York's finest paid by MPAA
Bust down your door and take your movie away!
In de car or on de horse,
They'll take your DVD's with excessive force.
Bad cops, bad cops.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
No, I would leave it to those who are in it for public service, rather than those who are in it to get rich. Besides, the pay is quite adequate.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
I think we should run an ad in every movie theatre for MPAA members and affiliates to remind them that "Paying off cops is a crime". We could even show the cops who were paid off in the ad to remind them what happens if you bribe law enforcement officials as part of the cops settlement arrangement.
They want us to obey the law but forget to do it themselves. Great example guys.
If the police force finds it can't recruit the right people with the pay structure as it is then that's a sign that pay needs to be increased. That's got nothing to do with allowing them to accept bribes.
Aside from the fact that they are not underpaid, there is this problem. If you have a "tip" system, pretty soon they only enforce laws to benefit those who tip them. Want that burglary investigated? Tip them, or they will "ignore it due to more pressing matters".
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
You have clearly never worked in the service sector. When I worked in the state of Virginia as a waiter I earned roughly half of minimum wage. The rest was expected to be made up with tips. The federal guvment assumes you will get 8-9% of each check in tips and the IRS taxes you for it. So if you don't tip your server still has to pay the IRS taxes on that tip they didn't receive.
Please tip. If you can't afford to tip then go eat at McDonalds.
The Information Revolution will be fought on the command line.
Nope. Read the parent.
"If the pay for enforcement of the law can be overcome by the acceptance of "tips", then the base salary is too low to prevent the officers from breaking their oaths."
You make no sense here. The corruption and "we only work if you give us extra money" situation would apply even if the pay was $200,000 a year. The MPAA has big money going here. How many hundreds of thousands do you want to pay each officer a year to remove any possibility of an MPAA bribe affacting their actions?
"In addition, if someone is willing to pay extra to have extra police protection,"
That reminds me of an obvious thing I overlooked. The poor already are ignored too much when they are victims. As they would not be able to pay the tips, this problem would get much much worse.
"then how is the police officer who assents to investigating "tipped" crimes at fault for spending more time looking into those crimes than into "untipped" crimes?"
Ever hear of "to protect and to serve"? There is NOT an asterisk there that says in fine print "only protecting those who pay us extra under the table".
I thought that enforcing the law only to protect those who bribe you was universally considered to be a problem. You seem to think it is a great reform.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Increase Sales
Reduce Cost
The MPAA considers piracy to be a "cost" that they wish to control, to assist their bottom line.
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . .
The music industry has been involved in payola for years and years, despite it being illegal. Why should they see this as anything different? They'll just come up with yet another excuse as to why this isn't payola. Is it a private gift from one individual to another, which -- totally coincidentally -- happens to be from an RIAA member to a NYPD officer? You can't prove anything! What, you want to outlaw gifts?
(In Soviet Russia, gifts outlaw YOU!)
The tip is supposed to be paid for services above and beyond the most basic acceptable service. If a waiter doesn't provide acceptable service, it is the customer's responsibility to not only NOT TIP, but also to inform the manager of the bad service.
What is wrong in the above statement is that not tipping is only acceptable in the case of bad service. This is totally wrong, and contrary to the whole concept of tipping.
Tipping is intended as a means of a waiter/tress to earn income above and beyond what they normally earn (which is typically below minimum wage). However to earn that, it is expected, from the customer's perspective, that the waiter must perform services above and beyond what is acceptable as "normal", not what is accepted as "bad service".
I hate bad tippers. I think they are cheapskates and are ripping off good waiters. However, I have to reproach any waiter who thinks that it is my responsibility to pay him extra just for providing "adequate" service. If I wanted expected service, I would have gone to McDonalds.
It's not the first time the RIAA has been involved in criminal activity.
Law enforcement goes wild and imprisons students for sharing a few thousand dollars worth of mp3s. It's about time we start imprisoning music industry CEOs who steal $143 million from the public.
The huge profits that are made on movies and music are way out of line. True, there are many execs, producers, direcetors, actors and musicians who don't get wildly rich, but there are loads who do. Rich beyond all comprehension. Why? These people are simply doing a job, one that has tremndous volume. If they cut prices in half or even lower, they'd still make a spectacular living, and they'd sell a lot more. It might even keep their total revenue the same. But I for one would be a lot happier buying a DVD for $5. I suspect many would, and wouldn't resort to buying cheesy bootlegs.
I do wish they'd lose that "penny-wise, pound-foolish" attitude.
An MPAA tip, for example, led to the recent prosecution of Randy Guthrie, the black sheep of a blueblood New York family, who was recently sentenced to 21/2 years in a Chinese jail for selling nearly $1 million in pirated movies over the Internet.
Why don't they just say 10.5 years?
You're SUPPOSED to tip police officers, it's only common courtesy.
How much does this great service cost? I can think of people I would like to have arrested...
# cat
Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
See other post, about the problem of not enough penalty for giving into this temptation.
"If you believe that police are working in their jobs because of some "duty" or obligation to the common good, then I have to believe that you are the one who is misguided"
Do you actually know anyone in law enforcement? Personally? Have you ever talked to any? Most of the police/etc I talk to are working their jobs for this reason and take their "duty" seriously. Or perhaps all the police you know really are heartless mercenaries with no sense of civic duty, and don't care about their oaths? If this is the case, no wonder you hate the police.
"But hey. I'm the one getting modded down, so fire away with whatever "arguments" you've got from that fantasy world of yours."
It is like you have never read the messages. After I post several about the real problems of police corruption, you say I am in a fantasy world where "all police are true to their oaths and are not tempted by external monies." You have me confused with someone else.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Next thing you know they start paying politicians to change laws.
Oh shit, nevermind...
We know they are guilty. It's fucking obviously so why "wait". Theres no smoke without fire and you can look at any major company you want and there is always smoke.
MS, Apple, MPAA, RIAA and hundreds of others now having to compete with the internet. The internet is seen as "the wild west", the general people don't care and us geeks are in the minority with no money. So they do whatever they wish with the money they have and if they get caught who really cares but their lawyers who just wants the cash?
I like muppets.
A few DVDs is different to being polite. If someone comes tot he house to repair something I'll always offer them a cup of tea and a biscuit. Same for the cops when they came here a few months ago (not relating to myself). These guys have a hard job and being polite to them isn't going to make you a favourite at all. Where as giving them free swag will.
Tea/coffe/snack/whatever = fine
Goods/services/favours = no
I suggest you check the difference between being polite and a bribe. Unless you're a little kid theres a big differencr.
I like muppets.
Though when I'm in the US I do try to remember that the waiters really are serfs and if I don't tip they'll starve. What a lovely system you guys have...
--
USA: home of the world's largest terrorist training camp.
Maybe it is just me, but I think DVD prices are decently low right now (for the most part). I was just at a store yesterday and saw a huge selection of recent discs, new, for $7.50 each. Sure, the new ones are espensive when they first come out, but the prices often drift down.
I aay "for the most part" because I'd like to get those Babylon 5 sets sometime, and they are still very expensive.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Absolutely. But, while paying them more can get better officers, that is not the most of it. Corruption and bribery scandals happen at the top of the law enforcement pay scale (between $100,000 and $200,000 for big cities). Surely these are not poverty wages, yet these big chiefs/leaders/etc still take bribes.
"I intended to argue for a better "carrot" but you were intent on arguing for a better "stick"."
When you swear an oath, you swear an oath. No "carrot" should be necessary, or the oath is worthless.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Don't get the two mixed up.
The RIAA is a criminal cartel that buys their own cops
The MPAA is a criminal cartel that buys their own laws
(oh and if any lawyers representing either of those organisations are reading this, please sue me for sying that, I'd just love the chance see the expression on your faces when a judge agrees with me)
A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
No they're not. Candy costs about 55 cents a bar now, when it used to be about 33 cents when I was a kid. Does this mean if I were to shoplift a candy bar, it's the store's fault? Or the candy manufacturer?
While I'm certainly not defending the MPAA's actions or saying that things are hunky dory, their shitty actions are not a reasonable justification to steal.
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . .
Notice what the man from the MPAA said:
-->
"We don't give cash to police officers," said Bill Shannon, an MPAA anti-piracy official.
--
Isn't that an odd way of putting a "denial"?
So Billy, what kind of gratuities do you actually use if not cash?
Apparently have the Swedish "Antipiratbyrån" (read Antipirate-Bureau) has been doing some not-so-legal stuff when they not long ago raided the swedish ISP Bahnhof.
Bahnhof states that hey planted evidence through a informer inside the ISP. They payed for the servers which then was filled with warez, mp3s and such.
Then they come and raided the stuff and now they're under investigation by the swedish government computer agency (which might lead to police investigation, i hope!).
FYI, the "Antipiratbyrån" is a non-government agency which are funded by Sony and other recordcompanies and the like.
But most countries are socialist-leaning, so I'm not surprised you think so lowly of people who actually have to "sing for their supper".
How is it that so many people in the US see everything in an axis of Capitalism-Socialism?
The situation is as follows: Restaurant owners make money from the work of waiting staff. However, the waiting staff are paid on the whim of the customer (with less than minimum wage from owner contribution). The restaurant owner is essentially getting a free ride from the waiting staff. The waiter or waitress has no security and never mind the fact that many of the factors that contribute to "good service" are outside of the waiting staff's hands. If the restaurant owner understaffs, serves bad food or hassles the waitress so that maybe she doesn't feel like smiling or flirting with a customer, then it's not his problem because he's not the one that will be short-changed.
There's a lot to be said for a system in which everyone knows how much they're getting paid and how much they're expected to pay.
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
"The MPAA gave these guys a couple free DVDs, it is not like these gifts were large sums of money."
No, no, you are using the wrong equation. You need to use tyhe one where each work is worth $150,000.00:
http://www.bitlaw.com/source/17usc/504.html
all the best,
drew
FreeMusicPush If you want to see more Free Music made, listen to Free
" Now now we all want to think the MPAA are guilty but as TFA says its an allegation thats being investigated."
Isn't this similar to the record and movie companies who want to get info from ISP's about alleged copyright infringement without going to a court of law?
The media companies have *seen* people stealing, so they assume people guilty and want to just fine them directly without doing that long, involved courtroom stuff.
Am I the only one who sees the irony here?
You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
The only cop I would ever expect to surf Slashdot is Robocop.
Cheers, officer. Just having a funny.
blog
The quote is from The Shield (warning: link has heavy use of flash) which is (sadly) one of the best shows on television right now.
While Vic Mackey is the main character, the quote was actually said by Claudette Wyms; a black detective who is justifying the excessiveness of Vic to the police captain.
I would actually say that this is on-topic simply for the fact that FX is, of course, FOX which is a member of the MPAA and "The Shield" is about cops going above the law.
"I believe that waiting tables in the US is the closest you will come to pure capitalism anywhere. You tip based on their performance. If they suck, you pay them nothing, but if they provide excellent service, you pay them well. I've been known to give 200% tips for excellent service."
That is much closer to socialism. They do something for you then hope and pray you'll pay them out of the goodness of your heart.
I hate tipping because a customer's idea of a good tip isn't necessarily the same as the waiter/waitress's idea. I'll give what I think is a good tip, and by the expression on their face I can see they weren't pleased with it. I've even had a waitress actually call me cheap after getting a tip for more than 20%. I stormed out of the place in anger so I wouldn't do something that would get me arrested. But on further thought I should have called the manager to get the damn bitch fired.
With real capitalism, you either know the price up front or you negotiate it before making the purchase. Thus the transaction only takes place if the dollar amount is mutually acceptable. If the wait staff up-front declared a dollar amount or percentage that they'd be willing to serve me for, I can decline if it's too high, and if I accept their terms they can't complain about not receiving a high enough tip.
---------
There is inferior bacteria on the interior of your posterior.
FTFA: "We don't give cash to police officers,"
We'll give out cars, credit cards, movie screener tickets, anything but cash!
Illegal? Samir, This is America.
Why is it that I am the only one who seems to understand that we need to go back to harsh punishments for powerful people (e.g., politicians, CEO's, etc) who are obviously crooked. We need to try, convict and sentence all this powerful and corrupt people. Sentence them to death by hanging.
That is the only way to swing the pendulum back, to correct the culture.
eat shiat and bark at the moon
I know this is flamebait and I should not respond but I still will...
No, you shouldn't perpetuate a system you believe is wrong. However, that also does not mean you penalize someone trying to make a living under that unjust system! If you see something wrong, do something that has a snowball's chance of CHANGING the situation. Don't be a cheapskate and then claim that you are "fighting against unjust laws;" your waiter, who often works very hard for your money (which you may not even see half of - it's a waiter's job to make it all seem effortless), won't be very impressed with your supposed moral fiber.
"Life is tough but we're tougher. You only get what you give, so give all that you've got." --Tony LaRussa
Granted, the title I was hawking didn't help...
--- The American Way of Life is not a birthright. Hell, it's not even sustainable.
Who ever mentioned stealing? The subject concerned illegal copies. I defy you go find a story about the MPAA cracking down on DVD theft. You might find some, but they are kind of rare.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
The difference is, that while he robs and brutalizes and takes away rights and consolidates dictatorial powers, he says "he is doing it to help the poor". That is enough for some who only look at words not deeds.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Esteban Carpio and Abner Louima got to see police revenge in action. No trial, just beaten within an inch of their lives. With Abner Louima the NYC Police department repeatedly raped his by jambing a toilet plunger in his anus while yelling "Take this, nigger". And these are the ones that lived.
I'm sorry, but the police are a cancer on society. And before anyone says I don't understand I was once a LEO assigned to the US Marshall's Office for three years (among other duties). Most cops are nothing more than stupid animals that couldn't think for themselves if they're life depended on it. While there are many exceptions including some excellent police officers, it is clearly not the norm.
Remember this: next time you get pulled over remember who has their hand on a service issued firearm and who is unarmed. Does it make you feel a little scared? If there's a disagreement are they going to believe you or the cop?
Check out the moive "The Thin Blue Line" (1988). It's about how the police framed Randall Dale Adams for the murder of a police officer. He's was weeks from execution before the truth can out and freed.
Many cops carry "throwaway pieces", handguns and knifes that can't be traced back to them so if they kill someone they have an excuse. Back in the '80s I spent some time riding with the Washington DC PD and reported to an officer shooting a suspect. The officer claimed the suspect (now quite dead) had a knife. An Inspector came out, didn't see a knife and said he'd back in five minutes. When he returned there were now four knifes under the body. It seems a few "people" grabbed their throwaway knifes and kicked it under the body without checking to see if someone else had already done it. The Inspecter saw the knifes and closed the case as a justifed shooting. Maybe it would've been different if the kid (16 years old) wasn't black and didn't live in public housing.
Welcome to Amerika.
Abner Louima: NYC officer arrested in alleged sexual attack on suspect
Esteban Carpio: No bail for suspect in detective's shooting
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity but they've always worked for me" - HST