A PAIR OF PIRATES was ordered to pay nearly $1 million in restitution on their way to jail for three years and 30 months respectively.

Maurice Robberson, 48, and admitted conspiracy and felony copyright to a Virginia court while his elder brother Thomas admitted a single copyright felony.

For three years until 2005 the brothers sold fake Adobe, Autodesk and Macromedia product online at discount prices.

They were very good fakes as the Maurice made $855,000 on $5.6 million flogging through outlets such as CDsalesUSA.com and AmericanSoftwareSales.com. Thomas a made $150,000 selling $1 million worth of software on Bestvalueshoppe.com and TheDealDepot.net, the court was told.

Two others involved had already been sent down. Danny Ferrer got 72 months in 2006, for selling more than $4 million or pirated gear with a retail value of nearly $20 million on BUYSUSA.com.

Alton Lee Grooms who helped set up the dodgy sites and made $150,000 from them, was sentenced January this year to one year and one day after he was the one who turned State’s evidence. µ