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News / Northwest

Couple plead guilty in counterfeit software scheme

The Columbian
Published: January 13, 2011, 12:00am

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A Battle Ground, Wash., husband and wife have pleaded guilty in federal court to charges resulting from 10 years of selling counterfeit Microsoft software.

The U.S. attorney’s office said 44-year-old Wayne Chih-Wei Shu pleaded guilty Thursday to mail fraud, trafficking in counterfeit goods, trafficking in illicit labels and two counts of willful failure to file tax returns. His wife, Maynila Voravongseng, pleaded guilty to the tax charges.

They entered the pleas after opening statements were delivered in their trial. They will be sentenced April 18. Shu faces a maximum 37 years in prison; his wife faces a maximum two years.

A 2007 search of Shu’s residence netted an estimated $2.6 million worth of software. Federal prosecutors say an analysis revealed 41 percent of the software to be counterfeit.

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Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com

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