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Drone smuggling prison contraband gets stymied by stupidity
Smuggling contraband into prison via drone is a bad idea, even if you toss morals out the window: the aircraft are noisy, flashy, and require a good amount of skill to fly in undetected. However, some British crooks didn't get the memo. Police report that unidentified suspects tried using a drone (a DJI Phantom 2 Vision, to be exact) to sneak drugs, phones and weapons into Bedford Prison, only to be foiled when the machine got caught in barbed wire. Prisoners supposedly paid an inmate to accept a delivery from friends on the outside -- if so, there are quite a few people in hot water right now.
Former Silicon Knights dev sentenced in child pornography case
Former Precursor Games and Silicon Knights designer Ken McCulloch was sentenced this week in an Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines, Canada on child pornography charges. Judge Joseph Nadel sentenced McCulloch to 12 months of time served; McCulloch has been jailed since his arrest in late June 2013, after he pleaded guilty to making child pornography available. According to The Welland Tribune, Niagara Regional Police also charged McCulloch with sexual assault, forcible confinement and sexual interference during his time in jail in the past year. McCulloch will remain in custody, returning to court on August 26 to answer to those charges. As a result of the initial sentencing, McCulloch will be added to the provincial sex offender registry for the next 20 years. Judge Nadel also ordered McCulloch to stay away from any child under the age of 16 and from schools, parks, recreation centers and public pools for 10 years.
Dungeon Fighter Online thieves go to jail
A pair of cyber-thieves have been sentenced to two years of prison time in China for stealing from another player in Dungeon Fighter Online. The unemployed thieves stole the login and password of a player, accessed his account, and sold off his inventory to the tune of $6,405. They were caught soon after and will face not only jail but fines for the crime. Late last year 10 Chinese thieves were caught stealing World of Warcraft accounts and selling players' possessions. They too received about two years in jail and had to cough up fines. [Thanks to Hagu for the tip!]
Choose My Adventure: Hunting for trouble (and riches) in ArcheAge
Bouncing between alpha and beta has hindered progress in ArcheAge for Massively's MJ, but it hasn't diminished the fun. As per last week's vote, she spent the past weekend in beta, checking out life on the other continent as an Elf. Now, with the next beta a whole week away, it's back to alpha life as a Firran. But that doesn't mean it's a lonely life! MJ found a spot for her little farm and has been raising some goslings as she continues her crafting and trade exploits. And there's also this thing about joining a guild... we're sure she could find some more trouble to get into with friends. Perhaps she'll even finally make it to prison! Join us live at 7:00 p.m. for MJ's final two-hour CMA Live adventure. Game: ArcheAge Host: MJ Guthrie Date: Friday, July 55th, 2014 Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT Enjoy our Stream Team video below.
ArcheAge player sentenced to 13 hours in jail by peers
ArcheAge's court system came into the limelight yesterday when a player in beta was sentenced to over 13 hours of in-game jail time by a jury of his or her peers. Players who break the various laws in the game and then die have a choice to either accept a short prison sentence or go to court and plead their case to a jury of five other players. These players then vote on the defendant's guilt or innocence, and in the case of the former, sentence the defendant to prison. Prisoners can wait out their sentence, play soccer in the jail courtyard, or attempt to tunnel their way to freedom. This particular player had over 100 criminal charges, which incurred a high amount (770 minutes) of jail time. If you want to learn more about ArcheAge's criminal justice system, check out the video after the break!
WoW account thieves get fines, two-year prison sentences
WoW Insider reports on a group of 10 Chinese men who have received prison sentences for their roles in a World of Warcraft account-stealing scheme. The group compromised 11,500 accounts, some of which were purchased for $1 a piece before being emptied and having their virtual contents resold "for an average of $3 per account." The group's ringleader was found guilty and slapped with an $8,000 fine as well as two years of jail time, while his accomplices received $1,000 fines and "just under two years in prison."
Precursor Games distancing itself from co-founder following child pornography arrest
Precursor Games writer, game designer and artist Ken McCulloch has been arrested by Niagara Regional Police on child pornography possession and distribution charges, Bullet News Niagara reports. Police confiscated a "significant" amount of computer hardware after exercising a search warrant on a home in St. Catharines yesterday. "Having just learned of these disturbing charges today and based on the serious nature of them, Ken McCulloch is no longer affiliated in any way with Precursor Games," CEO Paul Caporicci said in a statement on the developer's official forums. McCulloch's employee profile has been removed the site, and now directs to a 404 error. McCulloch is currently in custody while he awaits a bail hearing, Bullet News Niagara reports. Precursor Games, an independent developer formed from ex-Silicon Knights employees, is generally known for its controversial, unorthodox (and temporarily cancelled) attempts at crowdfunding Shadows of the Eternals, a spiritual successor to Denis Dyack's cult Gamecube classic Eternal Darkness. We've reached out to Precursor Games for comment. [Thanks, Drake.]
Former GameStop VP sentenced 51 months for embezzling over $1.7M
The Northern District Court of Texas sentenced Frank Christopher Olivera, the former VP of corporate communications and public affairs at GameStop, to 51 months in federal prison. Olivera, who pleaded guilty to embezzling over $1.7 million via mail fraud, was also fined $57,375 for funds unpaid on GameStop's loss, and a further $77,275 in restitution.According to federal documents, Olivera set up a fictitious Nevada-based company called Cloud Communications to send payments from GameStop to, across a period of July 2009 to April 2011. Olivera placed the payments in an account held by Cloud Communications, and then transferred the money to his personal bank account.
The Daily Grind: Would you play an MMO where you might go to jail?
While plenty of sandbox titles give players total freedom, ArcheAge is taking the concept a step further by offering actual in-game consequences for choosing a life of crime. We're very interested to see if XLGAMES can manage to keep griefers in check while providing fun gameplay for both criminals and victims, but we're also interested to see your responses to the system so far. If you're a law-abiding type, does ArcheAge's system sound like a good idea? If you're prone to playing criminal characters, would you roll in a game where you might spend some of your fun time in virtual jail? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Sensory Sweep Studios founder jailed and fined $1.2 million for failing to pay wages
Dave Rushton, the founder and president of Utah-based Sensory Sweep Studios, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison and fined a total of $1.2 million in unpaid wages to more than 100 employees, according to the Associated Press.This judgment resolves a lawsuit filed in 2009 by the US Department of Labor, which enjoined the sales of several Sensory Sweep Studios games after employees claimed they hadn't been paid in more than 100 days. Additionally, the employees alleged that their 401(k) money had been stolen by the company. Rushton has already served jail time for other charges relating to Sensory Sweep. In 2010, Rushton plead guilty to one third-degree felony charge of failing to file taxes and one second-degree felony charge of "engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity," says the Salt Lake Tribune. In addition to prison, the sentence also included a 72-month probation and 200 hours of community service.Sensory Sweep Studios was primarily responsible for developing ports and licensed games for the Nintendo DS, such as Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders, though it also developed some console games such as Alvin and the Chipmunks, or the XBLA version of Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting.
Robo-guard the South Korean correction service robot says 'stay out of trouble' (video)
It sounds like the sequel that didn't even make it to DVD: RoboCop's jaded, rotund, less attractive younger brother, who never made the police force -- and tired of living in his sibling's shadow -- took a job as the next best thing: a prison guard. Well, that might not make the silver screen, but it's certainly reality TV. Meet Robo-guard, the world's first robotic correctional officer. Developed in South Korea, Robo-guard is equipped with 3D cameras that let it observe inmates, while special software looks out for changes in behavior. Should anything suspicious be detected, he'll raise the alarm. A lone wolf, he works his beat autonomously, but can also be controlled manually via an iPad, if human colleagues want to check what's going down. Initial field trials are under way right now, and if all goes well, he'll earn a place in more prisons. Who knows, he may even make deputy one day.
Captain's Log: Facility 4028 -- The jailhouse rocks!
Like previous columns about The 2800, this column is an overview and will contain spoilers. If you have not yet played this mission or do not want to know about what happens, stop right here! Star Trek Online continues its recent featured episode series, The 2800, with Facility 4028, a meticulously created mission that places the player's character into the unenviable position of being caught in the middle of a Starfleet prison when all hell breaks loose. It's a fun little trip, and I believe it's an installment worthy of the reputation garnered by the more intricate missions seen in STO's previous series, Cloaked Intentions. Join me for a recap of this adventure!
Student hacks into Facebook, gets eight months in prison, twelve likes
The next time you get caught hijacking your friend's Facebook, remember it could be worse. On Friday, British Student Glenn Mangham was sentenced to eight months in not-so-social jail, for hacking deep into Facebook's servers. Apparently no user details were taken, with Mangham heading straight for "invaluable" intellectual property instead. Facebook alerted the authorities after it discovered the breach last May, the FBI then followed the digital thread back to the Briton's UK address. It's believed Mangham gained access to the inner sanctum after hacking into a Facebook employee's account, though it's not known if the comedy status update and embarrassing profile picture were also part of the attack.
The Perfect Ten: MMO prisons
Chillin' in the clink. Spending time in stoney lonesome. Thrown into the slammer. Checking in to the big house. Doing (perfect) 10 to life in the hole. Learning the ropes in juvie. Prison: The only fun thing about it is the slang that people have come up to describe it. And while you may never actually want to spend any time in the crowbar hotel in real life, chances are you've already done so in MMOs. Jails are an ever-popular locale in online gaming, and they almost always deal with an epidemic of escaped -- yet still milling around casually -- prisoners. So in today's Perfect Ten, we talked to the warden and got you a special glimpse into pixelated pokeys, if only to scare you straight. No more exploits and bots for you, young man or woman!
Pirate Bay founders lose final appeal in Sweden, prison looms on the horizon
It looks like Pirate Bay's legal drama has finally come to a close in Sweden, where the Supreme Court today turned down the site's final appeal. At the center of the case are the file sharing site's founders -- Fredrik Neij, Peter Sunde and Carl Lundström -- who have been battling Swedish prosecutors for quite a few years now. After being convicted of facilitating copyright infringement, the trio was initially sentenced to prison. They appealed the ruling in 2010 and, though they failed to overturn it, managed to see their 12-month sentences reduced by between two and eight months. Today, though, their final attempts were shot down, with the Court's dismissal. The fines and prison terms remain the same: ten months for Neij, eight months for Sunde and four for Lundström. There's also a fourth co-founder involved, Gottfrid Svartholm, who has been absent from several hearings. Under today's ruling, his original 12-month sentence will stand, and the four men will have to pay a total of $6.8 million in damages. Because the case has dragged on for at least five years, however, there's a chance that the sentences could be reduced by 12 months (bringing them down to zero), as is common in the Swedish legal system. The decision on this matter, however, remains with the court. TorrentFreak reports that at least one defendant intends to appeal to the European Court of Justice, though the results wouldn't have any effect on Sweden's decision.
South Korea plans trial run of robot prison guards
This isn't the first time we've seen a prison turn to robots for a little assistance, but South Korea looks to be going a bit further than most with its latest robotic endeavor. The country's Ministry of Justice has announced that it will be conducting a one-month trial run of robot guards at a prison in the city of Pohang starting in March -- a project that's expected to cost one billion won (or about $863,000). "The robots are not terminators," as the university professor in charge of the endeavor told The Wall Street Journal, but rather monitors that will patrol the corridors of the jail and alert the human guards if they detect any unusual activity. Inmates will also be able to use the robots to communicate with the guards, and the folks behind the bots are apparently doing their best to keep things from turning into too much of a dystopian future -- they're now said to working on making the robots appear more "humane and friendly."
Former ARRI exec pleads guilty to hacking into rival CEO's e-mail account, faces jail time
There's some Oscar-worthy drama brewing in California, where ARRI executive Michael Bravin has pleaded guilty to hacking into a high-level e-mail account at rival camera maker Band Pro Film and Digital. In a plea agreement filed yesterday with a US District Court, Bravin admitted to intentionally accessing a corporate e-mail account belonging to Amnon Band -- Band Pro's President and CEO. More details after the break, including a potential connection to RED's Jim Jannard.
Massively Exclusive: ArcheAge's Jake Song on consensual PvP, inflation, and more
ArcheAge news has been a bit sporadic of late, and it's also been quite some time since we talked to the devs or took a spin through one of the game's closed beta phases. Like many of you, we're dying to know more about XL Games' forthcoming fantasy sandpark, so we went straight to the source to see if we could drum up anything new. Lead designer Jake Song was kind enough to field a few of our burning questions, and we're pleased to present you with another Massively ArcheAge exclusive that touches on everything from localization and story to consensual PvP and item decay. Join us after the break for that and more.
AT&T iPad hacker pleads guilty to stealing data
Daniel Spitler is facing up to 10 years in prison for his role in the theft of personal information from iPad 3G users on AT&T. Spitler was one of the men responsible for writing the iPad 3G Account Slurper that parsed the SIM card numbers of AT&T iPad 3G owners and used them to retrieve email addresses from the carrier's website. The men, Daniel Spitler and Andrew Auernheimer, were part of the hacker group that ended up grabbing over 100,000 records. Spitler pleaded guilty to the two felony charges and, as part of his plea agreement, could see his potential sentence reduced from a maximum of 10 years to as little as 12- to 18-months.
Three sent to prison in China over iPad 2 leaks
A Chinese court has sentenced three people to prison for collaborating to steal information from Foxconn about the iPad 2 before it was unveiled to the public. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Shenzhen Bao'an People's Court found that the general manager of MacTop Electronics Company illegally offered a Foxconn employee 20,000 yuan, or about US$3,000, plus discounts on MacTop products for information on the iPad 2 last September. The Foxconn employee then paid another Foxconn employee who worked in the research and development department for digital images of the iPad 2's back cover. Cover accessory manufactures can typically make a killing if they have their covers for new Apple devices out the day the new product ships, which makes information, such as the dimensions of a new iOS device, very valuable. The general manager of MacTop was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined 150,000 yuan. The two Foxconn employees were sentenced to 14 months and 13 months, respectively, and fined 100,000 yuan and 30,000 yuan. There was no word on how the investigation led to the three employees, but Foxconn did issue a statement saying, "We cannot comment on matters of internal security, but Foxconn takes its commitment to protecting its intellectual property as well as that of its customers very seriously and undertakes all appropriate actions to safeguard against any violations."