"Wolverine" Bootlegging Nets Charges by Maricopa County Attorney

Stating cheesily that, "Wolverine wouldn't stand for bootlegged copies of his new movie and neither do we," Maricopa County Andrew Thomas announced several recent digital piracy prosecutions involving the upcoming movie. That's actually the funniest damned thing we've ever read from Thomas, who's usually all prim and proper. He must...

By Ray Stern

April 27, 2009

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Stating cheesily that, "Wolverine wouldn't stand for bootlegged copies of his new movie and neither do we," Maricopa County Andrew Thomas announced several recent digital piracy prosecutions involving the upcoming movie.

That's actually the funniest damned thing we've ever read from Thomas, who's usually all prim and proper. He must be trying to reach the youngsters.

Thomas' office made the statement this afternoon in a news release (below) relating the prosecutions of nine area residents on piracy charges. Four have already pleaded guilty to low-level felonies:

April 27, 2009

With the premiere of the movie "Wolverine" arriving, the County Attorney's Office and Phoenix Police have teamed up with the Motion Picture Association of America to catch and prosecute bootleggers. Over the past month nine defendants have been charged after being arrested in Phoenix. Of those nine, four defendants have pleaded guilty to Unlawful Sale of Sounds from Recording Devices, class 6 felonies.

Barbara Payan (DOB 2/15/68): case pending Vandhier Rodriguez (DOB 9/25/62): case pending Jose Bravo-Bonilla (DOB 9/25/68): pled guilty Ariel Allegria (DOB 7/1/58): pled guilty Santiago Bond (DOB 1/29/86): pled guilty Damian Pete (DOB 1/11/73): case pending Carolos Hines (DOB 6/15/76): case pending Yamal Santos (DOB 3/11/85): pled guilty Roel Rojas (DOB 5/18/78): case pending Rosa Pedrosa (DOB 10/28/57): case pending

Nearly all of the defendants were allegedly selling illegal copies of the new "X-men Origins: Wolverine" movie. Deputy County Attorneys Thomas Marquoit and Joseph Waters are prosecuting. Thomas stated, "Wolverine wouldn't stand for bootlegged copies of his new movie and neither do we."

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Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.