News

WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Department of Justice announced sentencing for a Dakar, Senegal man for his involvement in a massive multi-year music and movie counterfeiting ring spanning most of the Southern U.S. region that netted the defendant and his co-conspirators hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits. After pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, to traffic in counterfeit goods and to traffic in counterfeit labels in March 2010, the defendant, Mamadou Simakha, fled the country and was arrested overseas in March 2016 and extradited back to the U.S. Below is a comment on the case from Brad Buckles, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Executive Vice President, Anti-Piracy:

“We welcome this outcome and commend the outstanding work of the Department of Justice and all law enforcement authorities involved in the investigation for bringing this longstanding case to its successful end. This high-volume seller was part of a major counterfeit ring that brazenly ignored the law while massively profiting from theft. This kind of illegal activity threatens the livelihoods of thousands of music creators who pour their hearts and souls into making music and who rely on legitimate sales and streaming to make a living. We are grateful for this conclusion.”