Convicted film pirate found dead

Sprague pleaded guilty last year

A US man convicted of illegally copying and distributing film preview tapes has been found dead in his prison cell.

Russell Sprague, 52, was awaiting sentencing, which was scheduled for 21 March, after pleading guilty last year to one count of copyright infringement.

US officials said Sprague, who faced up to three years in prison, may have died of a heart attack.

Sprague was accused of copying 134 preview movies including Kill Bill: Vol 1 and Seabiscuit.

Prosecutors said Sprague had received the tapes from actor Carmine Caridi who starred in The Godfather: Part II.

Film buff

The films were preview tapes of movies sent out by studios to members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who vote in certain Oscars categories.

Caridi was fined $300,000 (£156, 270) in November for providing copies of The Last Samurai and Mystic River to Sprague, following a lawsuit by Warner Bros.

Caridi admitted sending VHS tapes to Sprague but denied having any knowledge of his criminal activities.

He claimed that he thought Sprague was a film buff but in fact Sprague made the films available to download on the internet.

A similar case filed by Columbia Pictures is still pending.