Jail -- Engadget

jail posts

Former Gizmondo exec Stefan Eriksson gets 1.5 year sentence, movie might now have ending

by Ross Miller posted Jul 11th 2009 at 2:45PM

Will this be the final chapter in the infamous and incredibly entertaining tale of former Gizmondo head Bo Stefan "Fiery Ferrari Crasher" Eriksson? Doubtful, but with any luck it'll serve as a decent thread to wrap up that optioned movie on his life. An Uppsala, Sweden District Court has sentenced the man to 1.5 years in prison for his most recent round of escapades, which include illegal threats, attempted blackmail, and robbery. Assuming he starts jail fairly soon, mark your calendars and place your bets, we're expecting a whole new slew of comical misdeeds to hit the news feeds by March 2011 -- and no, we still don't think a new Gizmondo will be out by then.

[Thanks, piraya]

The Pirate Bay founders sentenced to prison, website soldiers on

by Darren Murph posted Apr 17th 2009 at 7:12AM

In what's being described as a landmark verdict, four men responsible for assisting throngs of dubious internet users to download all sorts of copyrighted material are being ushered off to prison cells for twelve whole months. The Stockholm district court in Sweden found the defendants guilty not of hosting materially illegally, but of "providing a website with sophisticated search functions, simple download and storage capabilities, and a tracker linked to the website [that helped users commit copyright violations]." As expected, the foursome seems unaffected by the ruling, with Peter Sunde (shown) tweeting that "it used to be only movies, now even verdicts are out before the official release." After jail, the crew will be forced by pay 30 million kronor ($3.56 million) to a number of entertainment companies, which is far less than those firms were hoping for. Curiously, we're told that the verdict didn't include an order to shut down The Pirate Bay website, and you can pretty much bank on an appeal being filed in record time.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

LG, Chunghwa Picture Tubes execs to serve jail time for LCD price fixing conspiracy

by Darren Murph posted Jan 20th 2009 at 5:05AM

LG and Chunghwa Picture Tubes already confessed to being involved in a scandalous LCD price fixing conspiracy, and now the US Department of Justice is laying down the hammer on four of the dirty-handed executives. Chang Suk Chung (LG), Chieng-Hon "Frank" Lin (Chunghwa), Chih-Chun "C.C." Liu (Chunghwa) and Hsueh-Lung "Brian" Lee (Chunghwa) have all entered plea agreements which will see them serving a "term of imprisonment" as well as paying a criminal fine and assisting the US government in its ongoing TFT-LCD investigation. 'Course, those pleas must all be approved by the court, but it's pretty safe to say these fellows will be spending a least a moment or two behind steel bars. Fun, fun.

[Via DigitalTrends]

Recon Scout gets new job at prison, isn't any fun to hang out with

by Laura June posted Oct 31st 2008 at 7:58AM

You may remember this little dumbell-looking Recon Scout drone we saw last year, when it had just been implemented in the military. If you'll recall, the robot selflessly allows itself to be thrown into wild and unpredictable situations deemed "too risky" for people, then transmits grainy video back to an Operator Control Unit. Well, it turns out that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was interested in this rugged bastion of self-sacrifice, too. They can apparently envision all kinds of nightmare scenarios where prisoners have weapons and no human wants any part of it -- which is why they've agreed to a rental contract where they get ten devices and developer ReconRobotics gets feedback from the Department in exchange. Seriously though, aren't there any jubilant tasks we could set this guy to? He's getting to be such a killjoy.

Collect calls from prison to cellphones now possible, vast number changes expected

by Joshua Topolsky posted May 8th 2008 at 9:54AM

The next time you get popped for a crime you didn't commit and end up in the Big House, you're going to be real glad NCIC Inmate Telephone Services rolled into existence. The greatest dream of felons everywhere has finally come to fruition: you can now make collect calls to cellphones while you're serving your time. And hey, this isn't just some minor advance -- no, this is "lightning in a bottle," arguably on par with the first moon landing, finding a cure for cancer, or hitting that crazy high note at the end of "Happiness Is a Warm Gun." With a 20 percent call-completion rate, you don't have to defer your dreams -- rob a bank today, you'll definitely be able to make pricey collect calls to loved ones from jail!

[Image courtesy Celebrity Blackberry Sightings]

Stefan Eriksson released from jail, awaiting expulsion

by Darren Murph posted Jan 22nd 2008 at 9:45AM

Just as expected, the former Gizmondo Europe director is free at last -- well, almost. Barely a year after Stefan Eriksson was sentenced to "three years" in the slammer, he's now been let loose from behind bars and is currently "awaiting expulsion." Purportedly, everything was nearly in place to ship him back to Europe prior to Christmas, but apparently, the Swedish consulate has taken its sweet time in preparing a new passport. What's still unclear, however, is whether the Ferrari Swede will be flown back to Sweden or Germany, but if all goes to plan, we'll be liveblogging the whole ordeal as soon as that news breaks (we jest, we jest).

UK jails considering RFID implants for prisoners

by Joshua Topolsky posted Jan 14th 2008 at 1:47AM

Ah -- dead, eerily-prescient, 20th century authors... they just can't stop proving you right, can they? In a decidedly Orwellian turn, British authorities are considering a proposal to implant "machine-readable" RFID tags under the skin of some prison inmates as part of a plan to free up space in the country's overcrowded prisons. Just like the nightmare world described in your favorite cautionary tales, the chips would enable authorities to track the location of implantees using satellite and radio-wave technology. The program would build off of the current ankle-tagging currently in place, and according to a official from the Ministry of Justice who finds the plan double-plus good, "All the options are on the table, and this is one we would like to pursue." Of course, the controversial concept does have its detractors, Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, says that, "If the Home Office doesn't understand why implanting a chip in someone is worse than an ankle bracelet, they don't need a human-rights lawyer; they need a common-sense bypass." Shortly following this statement, however, Shami was taken to an interrogation room and outfitted with a rat-hood, and all record of her existence was erased from state records.

[Via Slashdot]

Body-scanning chair to show UK prisoners who's BOSS

by Evan Blass posted Dec 24th 2007 at 3:52PM

Not nearly as intrusive as it first sounds, the Body Orifice Security Scanner (BOSS) is a chair-shaped mobile metal detector that officials are considering installing in every prison in England and Wales. Designed mainly to weed out one of the most popular forms of contraband -- cellphones -- the new BOSS II is said to be sensitive enough to detect even a single SIM card being smuggled somewhere inside an individual. So far the two £6,500 ($12,900) chairs that have been used at the Woodhill jail in Milton Keynes since April have helped authorities seize 21 handsets, with inmates who trigger an alert segregated and swiped down by a metal detector every time they leave their cells until the metal object has been, um, passed. While this system does humanely do away with uncomfortable cavity searches, those poor souls with a knee replacement, a bit of shrapnel embedded in their hip, or the like seem destined to toil away in solitary confinement for eternity.

[Via SlashGear]

Texting, talking at the wheel could land Brits in jail

by Darren Murph posted Dec 21st 2007 at 9:58AM

We already knew that UK motorists caught driving while texting (or vice-versa) could face a penalty of two whole years in the slammer, but now it seems that merely talking while controlling a motor vehicle could land you in the exact same predicament. Reportedly, British drivers caught chatting on a handset or sending an SMS while on the road "could be jailed" under new guidelines that are expected to be published. In the most extreme cases, they could be tagged with "dangerous driving, which carries a two-year maximum sentence and an unlimited fine." Currently, these folks simply get slapped with an "automatic fine and three points on their license under the lesser charge of careless driving." But honestly, it's not like prison would be so bad for cellphone addicts -- after all, we hear some cells over there actually provide service.

[Image courtesy of MotorTrend]

"Dietrich" sentenced to jail for Gizmondo crash

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 18th 2007 at 11:42AM

Trevor Michael Karney – aka, The Elusive Dietrich – has been sentenced to jail by an LA judge for misleading police in the 162MPH crash of that $1.5 million Gizmondo Ferrari Enzo. Besides lying to police about his involvement as a passenger, the 27-year old German playboy also fled to Ireland before sneaking back into the US through the Mexican border in search of some tasty bud and cool waves. The sentence? 30 days, which roughly translates to a punishment of tickling by virgins until the onset of bellyache by the time the appeals process is through.

Posdata employee tried to sell WiBro secrets to US

by Darren Murph posted May 21st 2007 at 3:41AM

While it may look easy (and astonishingly lucrative) to pull a case of high-stakes espionage, one South Korean and three US-based individuals are learning the hard way that crime doesn't pay. The Seoul Central Prosecutors Office is accusing an unnamed employee of Posdata Co., a developer of WiBro, "of sending email with proprietary information to three former employees who live in the US." Additionally, it was suggested that the trade secrets (which cost about $95 million to fully develop) were being offered up "for around $190 million" to an unnamed US company. All in all, four culprits were arrested in the ordeal, and while "some data" was transferred, the boys in blue caught on and stopped the gig before any major secrets were divulged. Should've tried the bag drop method, eh?

PS3 crime spree, the missing episodes: heist goes awry, witness murdered

by Darren Murph posted May 5th 2007 at 3:01PM

'Tis a sad day in society when nearly two months after London showed us all how a crime-free launch is supposed to go that two separate incidents involving a PlayStation 3 left one witness dead and another dazed. In a case of local bartering gone terribly wrong, a crook posing as an interested buyer reportedly snatched a PS3 without paying, and rather than listening to a witness who tried to inject reason, the culprit resorted to stabbing the man to death and darting off with the blood-stained machine. On the other side of the pond, the UK finally did fall victim to console crime, as a crazed robber entered a Blockbuster and demanded a PS3, only to find that the object of his desire was in fact "sold out." Being the bright lad that he obviously was, he hastily decided that settling for an Xbox 360, a handful of games, and a fistful of pounds would have to do. Best of all, the robber was probably able to get in a few rounds of Gears of War before needing to go underground, as the boys in blue were initially dispatched to the wrong store location while the bandit built a solid lead. C'mon folks, if you're going to steal, at least snag the one console that still isn't a common sight in retail locations -- or don't criminals understand the concepts of supply and demand?

Read - Fatal stabbing over PlayStation 3, via PS3Fanboy
Read - Crook settles for Xbox 360 over PS3, via Joystiq

Sony's PlayStation 3 barred from British prisons

by Darren Murph posted Mar 30th 2007 at 10:47AM

Going to the slammer because of the PlayStation 3 (sadly) isn't the most uncommon of occurrences, but if you're headed off to a British prison, we certainly hope you weren't counting on getting your game on with Sony's latest whilst locked up. Home Secretary John Reid has made clear that Sony's latest console simply won't be allowed within UK jails, as its ability to "send and receive radio signals" lends itself to becoming an illegal communication device with the "outside world." After getting over the slightly unbelievable tidbit that such luxuries would even be considered as a prison amenity, we also noticed that Mr. Reid feared that the PS3 could communicate with the PSP via WiFi, giving him yet another reason not to blow thousands of pounds to entertain convicted criminals. And before you try to sneak one of these beasts in via a sly underground tunnel, we've no doubt that Murphy will be all over those taboo data transmissions before you can even read up on old emails.

[Via PS3Fanboy]

Irate driver rams fellow motorist due to cellphone use

by Darren Murph posted Feb 22nd 2007 at 6:40PM

You should already know that the Grand Canyon State isn't exactly kosher with rampant tailgating, so actually ramming someone's vehicle due to a personal conflict you have with them isn't likely to get you a whole lot of mercy. Subsequently, a 58-year old male is facing jail time due to his inability to turn the other cheek when he drove up on another motorist who was casually yapping on their cellphone. Rather than simply signing to hang up or doing nothing at all, Mr. Asselin felt it was in both of their best interests if they had a verbal exchange whilst cruising down the avenue, and to make matters worse, the curiously enraged driver reportedly ran the talker into oncoming traffic where the cellphone-using victim narrowly escaped death. Notably, several witnessed deemed the whole event akin to something we'd see "in a movie," but unless you've got Transporter-like skills, we wouldn't recommend trying to reenact this in your home state, no matter your feelings on driving while connected.

[Via Fark]

Citizens catch cop speeding with cameras / radars, face arrest

by Darren Murph posted Feb 19th 2007 at 4:51AM

Three cheers for citizens arrest! Actually, the case might end up going in the opposite direction, as a Bartow County couple could be arrested and tried for "allegedly stalking a Kennesaw police officer by installing cameras to track neighborhood speeders." While it seems perfectly okay to mount radars and speed traps all over our bustling highways in order to fine citizens for their hasty ways, apparently it's not so cool to keep an eagle-eye on a police officer breaking the same law. The couple spent around $1,200 installing a trio of video cameras and a radar gun outside their home in an attempt to monitor neighborhood speedsters and convince residents to slow down for safety, but things got a bit hairy when the surveillance system tagged a cop scurrying by at 17 miles-per-hour over the posted speed limit. Oddly enough, it seems that the officer was able to generate an acceptable excuse to dodge the penalty for speeding, while simultaneously planning to press charges against the dutiful couple for "stalking." So, dear readers, how exactly does an immobile, stationary camera go about stalking someone, hmm?

[Via Digg]