GN'R pirate pleads guilty in deal with feds
Kevin Cogill, the man accused of leaking nine Guns N' Roses songs months before their scheduled release, pleaded guilty yesterday (12/15) to one count of misdemeanor criminal copyright infringement, according to Wired.com.
The plea is part of a deal Cogill cut with prosecutors in which the 28-year-old agreed to cooperate with the federal government in their effort to find the original source of the leak. In his confession, Cogill said he "got his hands on the pre-release versions of the Guns N' Roses songs--something my audience was heavily anticipating." No other details were available.
Cogill could have faced one year of incarceration, one year of supervised release and a fine of $100,000. Under the terms of the deal, he is expected to completely avoid jail time. His official sentencing is scheduled for March 3 in Los Angeles federal court.
Cogill was arrested this summer and charged with uploading the GN'R music to his website, antiquiet.com. The FBI reportedly was tipped off to the uploading by an investigator with the Recording Industry Association of America.
The GN'R songs officially were released Nov. 23 as part of the band's new album, "Chinese Democracy," the recording of which took more than a decade.
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