NinjaVideo founder sentenced to 22 months in prison

A federal judge in Virginia on Friday sentenced Hana Beshara, the founder of NinjaVideo.net, to 22 months in prison for copyright infringement.

NinjaVideo allowed millions of users to download illegal copies of television shows and movies. Most of the videos were free, but users who paid $25 had access to forums with a wider range of material. 

 Some of the videos, including a copy of "Avatar," were posted on NinjaVideo before they were released in theaters, according to court documents.  

Beshara pleaded guilty in September and admitted to prosecutors that the website collected $500,000 in ad revenues in two years, with Beshara personally collecting more than $200,000.

As part of the plea agreement, Beshara agreed to forfeit assets, including cash and two bank accounts. 

The judge also sentenced Beshara to two years of supervised release and 500 hours of community service.

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