Prenda Attorneys Indicted, Arrested Over Porn Piracy Program

Prenda Attorneys Indicted, Arrested Over Porn Piracy Program

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Former Prenda Law attorneys John Steele and Paul Hansmeier have been arrested and charged in an 18-count indictment over the law firm's porn piracy program.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger announced charges this morning. Hansmeier was arrested in the Minneapolis; Steele was arrested in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The charges, unsealed today, include conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to perjure and conspiracy to launder money over a three-year period.

“In order to carry out the scheme, the defendants used sham entities to obtain copyrights to pornographic movies — some of which they filmed themselves — and then uploaded those movies to file-sharing websites in order to lure people to download the movies,” the indictment said.

Judges nationwide criticized the firm's tactics, including a federal judge in Los Angeles who ordered stiff monetary sanctions against them at the defunct Chicago law firm, Prenda Law, in 2013.

Steele and Hansmeier collected at least $6 million from legal settlements in infringement claims they had filed against people who allegedly downloaded copyrighted adult films online, the indictment said. The pair had allegedly purchased copyrights and seeded the internet with the movies.

In 2015, U.S. District Judge Otis Wright in Los Angeles found that Prenda Law set up shell companies that bought copyrights to pornographic movies and made them available on online file-sharing websites like BitTorrent.

Wright awarded attorneys fees, bonds and a punitive multiplier against the law firm and its principals.

Prenda Law, or affiliated local attorneys it hired, would then file claims against John Does via IP addresses captured during the downloads of the porn films. They later sought to subpoena the ISPs for the identity of the users through court approval.

Later, they sent cease-and-desist letters to subscribers and offered to “settle” the suits if the Does would pay them settlements averaging about $4,000.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Wright’s sanction order in June, writing that it was not an abuse of discretion for Wright to identify Steele, Hansmeier and the late Paul Duffy as responsible for the abusive litigation, and that they possibly committed identity theft and fraud on the court system.

View indictment

Related:  

Copyright © 2023 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Conservative AGs Send Letter to Aylo About Supposed Moderation 'Loophole'

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, along with 25 other attorneys general largely from Republican-controlled states, sent an open letter to Pornhub parent company Aylo on Friday demanding explanations about a supposed “loophole” that allowed users to post CSAM.

FSC Calls on North Carolina Governor to Veto Age-Verification Bill

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has sent a letter to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, asking him to veto House Bill 8, to which a Republican legislator attached a copycat age-verification amendment.

Stalker Ex-Boyfriend Convicted of Murdering Pineapple Support Therapist Amie Harwick

The ex-boyfriend of slain Pineapple Support therapist Dr. Amie Harwick was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder for her February 2020 death.

Leading Free Speech Groups File Brief Blasting Texas' Age Verification and Mandatory Labeling Law

Several leading free-speech groups, led by the ACLU, urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit on Thursday to block the Texas age verification law that requires adult websites to post anti-porn propaganda, contending that this violates the First Amendment.

Pre-Nom Period for 2024 XBIZ Awards Ends Saturday

The deadline for pre-nomination entries for the 2024 XBIZ Awards, the adult industry's biggest night, is Saturday at midnight, PDT.

Erolabs Launches Adult Mobile Game 'Star Lusts'

Adult game studio Erolabs has released the first six chapters of its latest mobile title, "Star Lusts."

French Government Report Urges Criminalization of Adult Industry

A sensationalistic report released this week by a French government office is urging immediate state censorship and broad criminalization of the adult industry in France and worldwide.

North Carolina Group Backing Age Verification Bill Admits Law Is Actually 'Anti-Pornography'

A North Carolina religious conservative group backing just-passed age verification legislation, which a Republican state senator snuck into an unrelated bill last week, has admitted the copycat amendment is in fact an “anti-pornography provision.”

JuicyAds Introduces 'Adsistant AutoBid' Tool

JuicyAds has launched its new Adsistant AutoBid tool, which allows advertisers to move an advertiser's bid up and down to maintain a specific bid position.

FSC Sets Calendar for Upcoming Board of Directors Election

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has set the calendar for its November election for Board of Directors.

Show More