SANTA CLARA COUNTY– Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Erica Engin of the Major Fraud Unit announced the arrest of a local business owner for the selling of bootlegged copies of PacMan and other arcade games to unsuspecting customers between 2014 and 2017.
According to Deputy District Attorney Engin, “A Milpitas woman, her son, ex-husband, and three other associates of a Santa Clara classic arcade machine company have been charged with making and selling counterfeit video games.” Records released by the court reveal that unsuspecting customers had purchased Galaga, Tank Battalion, and as many as five versions of the game Pac-Man.
The owner of Santa Clara classic arcade machine company, 61-year-old Chun Chu Chang of Milpitas, along with 29-year-old Kingsley Stewart Chang of Milpitas, 39-year-old Bruce Michael Burton, of Sunnyvale, 59-year-old Kung Teh Chang of Milpitas, 45-year-old Ryan Loesch of Folsom, and 67-year-old James Chian Chen of Arcadia face 14 counts of felony counterfeiting.
Deputy District Attorney Engin said, “These are thefts of ideas and innovation in Silicon Valley, the home of ideas and innovation.” An estimated 3000+ counterfeited video games were sold. The theft of its registered trademarks owned by Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., is uncertain.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the proceeds from the sale of the illegal arcade machines is subject to forfeiture, including over $1.2 million in cash seized by the District Attorney’s Office as well as a 2012 Mercedes Benz, a 2015 BMW, and five residential properties.
The six suspects are expected to enter a plea on August 21, 2017 at 1:30 PM at the San Jose Hall of Justice.
