Chinese guy pleads guilty to pirating $100 million of military software. Laters!

Listen. I’ve been catching up on the second season of Homeland (no spoilers!), so I know how this story ends. Some jail cell somewhere, where the person in question whittles away the days by writing their memoirs in rectal blood. So it comes to pass. Don’t blame me, blame the game.

Gizmodo:

Yesterday a Chinese businessman pleaded guilty to selling pirated software—used by defense, space technology and engineering businesses—worth a retail value of over $100 million.

A plethora of sophisticated software was stolen from an estimated 200 American manufacturers and sold onto 325 black market buyers in 61 countries between 2008 and 2011, according to Reuters. Software made by the likes of Microsoft, Oracle, Rockwell Automation, Agilent Technologies and Siemens was sold on for between $20 and $1,200. Some of the software, however, officially retailed for more than $1 million apiece.

According to Reuters the businessman, Xiang Li, of Chengdu, China, trolled black market internet forums to find the software, then advertised it on his website. US agents spend 18 months working undercover in order to finally catch Li, eventually buying software worth $150,000 off him for just a couple of thousand dollars. He was finally lured to the US territory of Saipan from China, under the premise of discussing a dodgy joint business venture. Whoops. [Reuters]