Police: Shop owner sold pirated music CDs

Warren Greene, 55, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit criminal infringement of copyright.

By: Linda Seida
   NEW HOPE — The owner of Spinsters Records has been charged by the U.S. attorney’s office in Philadelphia with selling bootleg, pirated and counterfeit music CDs.
   Warren Greene, 55, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit criminal infringement of copyright. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
   Investigators allege that from October 2002 through July 2003, Mr. Greene sold illegal CDs, DVDs and vinyl records. According to the U.S. attorney’s office, these recordings were described as bootleg or unauthorized recordings of live performances; pirated, or compilations of music from different sources; and counterfeit, which are exact duplicates of legitimate recordings.
   The total retail value of the illegal merchandise was about $120,000, according to court records.
   Federal agents confiscated a total of 5,662 illegal recordings July 29, 2003. According to court records, these included 3,042 bootlegged CDs; 1,621 bootlegged, pirated and counterfeit CDs; 758 pirated CDs; 219 counterfeit CDs; 14 bootlegged music DVDs; five pirated vinyl recordings; and three bootlegged vinyl recordings.
   Mr. Greene did not return a message left on Spinsters Records’ answering machine. A woman who later answered the shop’s phone said she did not know when he would be available.
   The illegal recordings came to light with an investigation by the Recording Industry Association of America. An undercover investigator from the RIAA visited Spinsters Oct. 3, 2002 and purchased "Sunlight Soldiers at the West End" by Bruce Springsteen and "Nellyville" by Nelly for $22.96.
   Jan. 9, 2003, an RIAA undercover investigator bought a "Bruce Springsteen’s Greatest Hits" CD for $7.40. Later that month, an undercover investigator spent $23.28 for three CDs, which included another by Bruce Springsteen, one by Peter Gabriel and a third by U2. Another sale occurred in March 2003 and two more in July 2003.
   The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the RIAA.