Counterfeiting ring faces jail time for forging arcade cabinets

Six people were charged with creating and selling counterfeit arcade cabinets in California and could face over 10 years in prison if convicted.

Three members of a Santa Clara family and three accomplices were charged with forging arcade cabinets, loading them up with pirated versions of classic arcade games like Pac-Man, Galaga, and Tank Battalion, The Mercury News reported Thursday. The six individuals ran CoinOpStore, which manufactured and sold arcade cabinets (some with games) and arcade paraphernalia (like stools and joysticks).

Cabinets contained anywhere between 60 and 30,000 pirated games and sold for at least $1,459 each, The Mercury News reported.

Each member of the ring is facing 14 counts of felony counterfeiting and, if convicted, could get hit with a maximum sentence of 11 years and eight months in jail, plus forfeiture of their assets including $1.2 million in cash, a Mercedes Benz, a BMW, and five properties around California.

That's quite the haul, and it's all already been seized and frozen by Santa Clara police.

H/T Kotaku