PHILADELPHIA, Miss.--When Antwun Jones sold his bootleg copy of "The Help" to a seemingly nice guy at a flea market near Philadelphia, he had no idea the man was actually an agent from the Miss. Atty. General's Intellectual Property Theft Task Force. Jones' mistake led to the discovery of a DVD mill and to his arrest.
Jones, 28, of Meridian, was sentenced to serve two years in prison Thursday by Judge Vernon Cotten in Neshoba County Circuit Court. He was also ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and $1,000 each to the Attorney General's Investigative Fund and Crime Victim Compensation Fund.
Atty. Gen. Jim Hood told us after his agent successfully bought the bootleg movie, the on-scene investigation took them to Jones' car, where they 461 pirated discs and the computer equipment used to make them.
Hood told us the case is not unique and that pirated goods are a problem in Mississippi. That's why the Task Force was established, through a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Justice.
"Those who sell pirated drugs, movies, music or any other counterfeit goods in our state should be on notice that they will be caught and prosecuted," said Hood.
Jones will also serve a year on supervised probation once he gets out of prison.