Ex-DVD Factory Worker Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over 1,000 Blu-rays and DVDs

Steven Hale, a former employee of a DVD manufacturing company, pleaded guilty to stealing over 1,000 Blu-ray discs and DVDs. The FBI alleges his piracy cost movie studios millions of dollars. Hale exploited his position to access pre-release copies of films, bypassing encryption and leaking them online for profit. Leaked films included blockbusters like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Encanto, and Sing 2, with the FBI estimating that Spider-Man's leak alone cost one studio tens of millions of dollars due to tens of millions of illegal copies. Authorities seized approximately 1,160 Blu-rays and DVDs in March 2022, shortly after the Spider-Man leak. The case may be part of a larger investigation into the Spider-Man leaks.