News.blog: P2P identity thief sentenced

A Seattle man has been sentenced to four years in prison in a case that prosecutors said was the first federal case against someone using file-sharing software to steal identities.

Gregory Kopiloff, 35, was sentenced to 51 months in prison on Monday, according to a report in the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

Kopiloff pleaded guilty in November to mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and accessing a protected computer without authorisation to further fraud. Kopiloff used programs such as LimeWire to gain access to personal information in tax returns, credit reports, bank statements and student financial aid applications of more than 50 people, according to a news release from the US Attorney's Office. He then used the information to buy and resell more than $73,000 (£35,000) in merchandise, the release said.

While music and movie piracy cases are common, the Justice Department called Kopiloff's prosecution its first case against someone accused of using peer-to-peer programs to commit identity theft.