Seattle man guilty in ID theft case

SEATTLE, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A Seattle man pleaded guilty Monday to using computer file-sharing programs to steal personal information from 50 people across the United States.

Gregory Kopiloff, 35, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Seattle to mail fraud, accessing a protected computer without authorization to further fraud and aggravated identity theft, the U.S. attorney's office said in a news release.

In his plea agreement, Kopiloff admitted using peer-to-peer file-sharing programs, including Limeware, to invade the computers of victims across the United States to get access to their personal information in tax returns, credit reports, bank statements and student financial aid applications.

Federal prosecutors said Kopiloff admitted to using the personal information he obtained from the 50 victims to fraudulently purchase and resell more than $73,000 in merchandise.

He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on the mail fraud count by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart Jan. 28, 2008. He faces another five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for illegally accessing computers and two years in prison for aggravated identity theft.