Employee charged with stealing unreleased movies, sharing them online

A Memphis man was arrested and charged with stealing DVD and Blu-ray discs of unreleased movies and sharing ripped digital copies online before their release. 37-year-old Steven R. Hale worked for an unnamed multinational company used by major movie studios that manufactured and distributed DVDs and Blu-rays of movies. Between February 2021 and March 2022, Hale allegedly stole many discs of unreleased movies that were being prepared for commercial distribution in the United States. According to a Thursday press release issued by the Justice Department, these "pre-release" DVDs and Blu-rays were later sold through various e-commerce sites. The list of stolen DVDs and Blu-rays includes "F9: The Fast Saga," "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," "Godzilla v. Kong," "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "Dune," and "Black Widow." He is also accused of ripping the pre-release "Spider-Man: No Way Home" Blu-ray and sharing online a digital copy extracted from the Blu-ray by bypassing the e ... Read full article.