UK Man cops to £500,000 iTunes royalty scam

A UK man has admitted involvement in crime ring that generated £500,000 in royalties by using stolen credit cards to buy his own songs on iTunes and Amazon, according to published reports.

Wolverhampton-based Lamar Johnson, 19, was the youngest member of a group accused of posting the songs and then downloading them using the compromised card data, according to the BBC. The group reportedly downloaded songs 6,000 times between January 2008 and June 2009, and about a third of that activity was done by Johnson.

He pleaded guilty in Southwark Crown Court to one count of conspiracy to defraud, the BBC said. The remaining defendants are expected to appear in the same court on January 25. ®