Three top members of a global computer piracy network admitted Thursday that they shuttled millions of dollars in computer games, movies and software around the world through a coded system of Web sites and chat rooms.
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The men pleaded guilty in U.S. District court to federal copyright charges, becoming the first Americans convicted in what the Justice Department said was the largest-ever investigation of software piracy.
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All said they made no money off the conspiracy and U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor said they considered themselves "the Robin Hoods of cyberspace."
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But investigators said the bootlegged software ended up on the streets of foreign countries, selling for pennies on the dollar.
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The investigation _ dubbed "Operation Higher Education" because many pirates use computers at universities _ spanned across the United States and about a dozen foreign countries. FBI agents in New Haven said the case broke open when they infiltrated the clandestine "warez" community on the Internet.