Record Industry Helps Bust Counterfeit Ring

New York, March 15, 2001
Redirecting its legal energies momentarily from the assault against online file-sharer Napster, the Recording Industry Assn. of America said Thursday it has helped to bust a Gotham-based ring of counterfeit CD distributors. The U.S. Secret Service, assisted by the RIAA's anti-piracy unit, turned up more than 20,000 already-recorded CD-Rs -- along with the 1,200-odd master discs used to record them -- during raids at illicit makeshift distribution operations in Queens and Manhattan on March 8, Among the titles being unlawfully duped were works from Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z, Santana and the Beatles. The RIAA said charges are pending against two suspects involved in the distribution scheme.