Some Criminal Activity

First the good news - Sad Sack is gone. What a pleasure! Someone from another team requested transfer into ours. he's been with the firm longer than I have and he has worked on the press before, so it was goodbye Sad Sack. The new guy, Stéphan is a really nice bloke. He's also slow, but it's slow like a big bear, rather than slow because he's shiftless and can't be arsed to pick up his feet. Always smiling, always happy.
Plus, the press was well adjusted and it was a real pleasure to turn a shift without having to nursemaid someone.

Now to the scandal. I post a news article from Charente Libre dated 27/09/2008. You'd better bloody read it because I paid 1 euro to download the article from their web site

L'ouvrier vendait ses ordinateurs pour arrondir ses fins de mois

Il est quadragénaire et ouvrier d'usine. Son hobby, c'est les ordinateurs et l'homme semble avoir un véritable talent en la matière. Au point qu'il s'était fait spécialité d'approvisionner le secteur en ordinateurs assemblés maison. Il avait pris l'habitude d'acheter des composants sur internet, de les assembler, puis de revendre ses machines. Dans la foulée, il installait les logiciels adéquats et proposait un produit prêt à l'utilisation contre un petit millier d'euros. Un business d'appoint qui n'a pas fait que des heureux. En mai dernier, l'un de ses «clients» est venu se plaindre à la gendarmerie. L'enquête s'est poursuivie jusqu'à lundi passé et l'interpellation de l'informaticien amateur.
Au cours de leurs recherches, les gendarmes se sont rendu compte que l'affaire était juteuse. En 2007, l'homme aurait ainsi fourni clés en main dix-sept machines. Pour les enquêteurs, la notion de travail dissimulé s'est vite imposée. L'homme posait même quelques affiches de pub sur son lieu de travail ou dans les colis livrés pour inciter le bouche à oreille. Et son activité n'était bien évidemment pas déclarée.
Surtout, les logiciels installés n'étaient en fait que la copie de l'unique exemplaire que l'homme avait acheté. Tous ses «clients» avaient donc le même numéro de licence, ce qui leur interdisait les mises à jour. Mieux, il téléchargeait sur internet des logiciels de jeux gratuits qu'il facturait néanmoins aux acheteurs. Et les machines ne bénéficiaient bien sûr d'aucune garantie. Les gendarmes n'ont pas tardé à traduire tout cela par abus de confiance. Lundi, ils sont allés interpeller l'homme. Placé en garde à vue, il a reconnu les faits. Il a été laissé libre mais sera convoqué en justice. Avec un adversaire de poids: Microsoft s'est constitué partie civile.

Here's a quick and dirty translation:

A labourer sells computers to make ends meet
He's in his 40s and a labourer in a factory. His hobby is computers and he seems to have a real talent in the trade. To the extent that he sepecialises in providing the neighbourhood with home built computers. He would normally buy the parts on the internet, then assemble and resell them. He would also install the required software and offered a product, ready to use for about 1000 euros. A business that could only make everyone happy. Last May, one of his complained to the police. Their enquiries led to the arrest last Monday of the amateur technician.
During their investigation, the police realised they had got a juicy one. During 2007 the man must have supplied 17 machines. For the investigators this led immidiately to charges of undeclared earnings. The man had even posted adverts at his place of work to encourage word of mouth. And his activities were obviously not declared for tax.
But above all, the software installed was made from the single copy that the man had bought. All his therefore had the same license number, whiche prevented them from getting updates. Better still, he had downloaded free games from the internet and charged for them. And the machines, of course, had no guarantee. The police didn't delay in seeing all of that as abuse of trust. On Monday they went to arrest the man. detained at the station, he admitted his guilt. He was released but will be brought to trial, against a heavyweight opponent. Microsoft is the civil party bringing suit.

It turns out to be one of the shift bosses. I had seen the ads, they were a regular feature on the noticeboard of the canteens.
Nothing wrong with supplying homebuild PCs but using a single copy of the operating system was silly and charging for free games was just greedy. It only took one disgruntled customer to bring the whole thing down.
He'll probably get a suspended jail term, but an ENORMOUS fine between the tax man and Microsoft. he'll be paying it off for life.