DOCUMENT: Internet, Crime

Guns N' Roses N' The FBI

L.A. man busted for posting nine tracks from 'Chinese Democracy'

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Guns N' Roses N' The FBI

AUGUST 27--A Los Angeles man who allegedly posted nine pirated tracks from 'Chinese Democracy,' the long-overdue album from Guns N' Roses, was arrested today by FBI agents and charged with violating federal copyright laws.

According to investigators, Kevin Cogill, 27, first posted the songs to his web site in June and, after being contacted by a lawyer for the band, claimed that traffic to his site was so large that it caused his server to crash. According to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Cogill claimed that he had deleted the songs from his server and from his personal computer. An excerpt from the affidavit can be found here.

When confronted by federal agents, Cogill, who uses the name 'Skwerl' online, admitted posting the songs on his web site, antiquiet.com. He uploaded the songs from a computer at the online ad sales company where he works. If convicted of the felony count, Cogill faces up to five years in prison. (5 pages)