Ex-Academy Member Fined for Leaking Movie

A former member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences accused of leaking "screener" copies of movies was fined $300,000, the maximum allowed under federal law.

A federal judge ordered Carmine Caridi to pay Warner Bros. $150,000 each for providing copies of "The Last Samurai" and "Mystic River" to a second man, who copied them and made them available for download over the Internet.

Caridi, 70, has told criminal investigators he sent VHS copies of about 60 movies he received each year to 51-year-old Russell Sprague, who converted the VHS tape into DVD format and then sent the originals back to Caridi, authorities said.

Movie studios routinely send copies of films to Academy members, who view them in their homes as they prepare to vote in various categories for the annual Academy Awards.

In April, Sprague pleaded guilty to one count of copyright infringement for pirating Oscar screener copies of about 200 films including "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" and "Seabiscuit." He is awaiting sentencing.

Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures filed separate civil suits in January. The federal judge granted Warner Bros.' motion for a default judgment against Caridi on Nov. 17 after Caridi failed to respond to the suit.

A call placed to Caridi's attorney was not immediately returned Tuesday.

"Judge Wilson's award and comments clearly show that due to the viral nature of the Internet, even one illegally used copy of a film can cause significant financial damage," Darcy Antonellis, a senior vice president at Warner Bros., said in a statement Tuesday.

Columbia's lawsuit against Caridi is still pending.

In February, after the lawsuits were filed against Caridi, the Academy said it expelled a member for leaking Oscar screeners. The Academy did not name the member.