Convicted federal Internet movie pirate found dead in his cell in Los Angeles.
Russell William Sprague, 52, was the Chicago man who pleaded guilty in April to one count of copyright infringement for duplicating 134 screener movies originally sent to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to solicit their votes for last year's Oscars. Actor Carmine Caridi, 70, was expelled by the Academy for passing the screeners on to Sprague but not charged with any crime.
The U. S. Marshals Service said Sprague may have died of a heart attack, but we know it was really death by PIRACY.
Article comments
1 - Aaman
I blame Johnny Depp
2 - Eric Olsen
hmm, I was wondering if there were any Caribbean connections to the case
3 - roberta
Russell was my father and I think there is fowl play, the movie companies kept him in jail and away from his family until he died. The movie companies are to blame.