14 DAY TRIAL // A 19-year-old British teenager pleaded guilty to offenses related to his involvement in a scheme that defrauded Amazon and iTunes of royalties.
Lamar Johnson, 19, from Birmingham, admitted to being responsible for over 2,000 fraudulent transactions made on the two websites during 2008 and 2009.
The teenager was one of twelve people charged in connection with the fraud scheme, which involved the purchase of 20 songs with stolen credit card details.
The gang was busted by the Metropolitan Police's Central e-crime Unit (PCeU) back in June 2009, as a result of an investigation that saw the participation of the FBI.
According to prosecutors, the fraudsters contracted an US-based company to promote their alleged songs, knowing that the firm works with Apple's and Amazon's music distribution services.
Then, between January 2008 and June 2009, they used stolen credit card details to buy the songs in digital format from iTunes and Amazon's MP3 store. The fraudulent purchases totalled £469,000, from which the gang illegally earned royalties.
According to the BBC, Johnson, who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud, is already serving a five-year prison sentence for causing grievous bodily harm.
The other people charged with conspiracy to defraud in the case are Denver White, 24, a care worker, of Helming Drive, Wolverhampton; Rajan Aheer, 20, a librarian, of Wellington Road, Wolverhampton; Craig Anderson, 23, unemployed, of Edwin Road, Dartford, Kent; Arran Jassi, 20, a postal worker, of Denmore Gardens, Wolverhampton; Sandeep Aheer, 22, unemployed, of Wellington Road, Wolverhampton; Colton Johnson, 19, unemployed, of Deansfield Road, Wolverhampton; and James Batchelor, 27, a teacher, of Stone Hill Road, Derby.
Four more individuals were charged with money laundering in connection with the same scheme. They are Siobhan Clarke, 23, a hairdresser, of Limes Avenue, Carshalton, Surrey; Sheahan Steele, 41, a drugs counsellor, of Pakfield Walk, Aston, Birmingham; Matthew Clarke, 31, unemployed, of Cross Farm Road, Birmingham; and Leon Miles, 19, unemployed, of Brooklands Parade, Wolverhampton.