A story that started almost half a decade ago has finally found a conclusion for at least one of the players. And it’s a kind of happy ending for Aaron Buckley, operator of one of the biggest pirate Android app stores taken down by Google. The then 15-year old was running Applanet when they raided his house back in 2012. Now 6 years later, he finally gets his sentence and the good news is that he will not get any jail time and instead, he got three years of probation among other things.
We say it’s kind of happy because other defendants in similar cases will be spending years in prison. Buckley got off easy given his attorney’s request for a lesser sentence for his client due to undisclosed “tough circumstances” that he has experienced since then. His legal counsel also showed how his life has changed since then and is now involved in community work, including a popular support community for LGBT teens. He is already in his mid-twenties.
District Court judge Timothy C. Batten listened to Buckley’s attorney and sentenced him to three years probation with no jail time for Conspiracy to Commit Copyright Infringement and Criminal Copyright Infringement. This also includes a year of home confinement, 20 hours of community service, and he will also have to work towards passing a General Education Development (GED) exam.
Buckley is “extremely grateful” for the judge taking into consideration his unspecified health and life situation. He also said he was glad that he will be able to use these skills that initially led him into illegal activities to a “more positive way” in contributing to society. Other defendants in similar cases received jail sentences, with one getting 46 months.
VIA: Torrent Freak
