Movie pirate, gang member arrested
VICTOR VALLEY — Sheriff’s deputies enlisted the assistance of the Motion Picture Association of America in a case of alleged pirated DVD movies this weekend.
On Monday, Sept. 14, Jesse Stepney, a documented gang member, was being held without bail.
Stepney and a 40-year-old female resident of Spring Valley Lake who was eventually released were arrested on suspicion of possessing pirated DVDs for the purpose of selling them. Stepney was booked at the Victor Valley jail with an additional charge of violating the terms and conditions of his parole.
When two San Bernardino sheriff’s deputies conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation in Spring Valley Lake, the occupants of the car were found to be in possession of 76 pirated movies. During the investigation, deputies went to the suspects’ residence and located more pirated DVDs, officials said.
A private investigator from the MPAA, Steven Lopez, responded to a request from the sheriff’s Victor Valley station to assist in the investigation. The DVDs consisted of several new and older movie titles with a street value of more than $800.
“The industry reports hundreds of millions of dollars in losses each year,” said Salla Hodson, speaking for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
