Cuban extradited from Latvia to face counterfeit slot charges

By Mary Manning

Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 | 10:49 p.m.

A Cuban national was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court on charges of selling counterfeit slot machines and computer programs after he was extradited from Latvia to Las Vegas.

Rodolfo Rodriguez Cabrera, 43, and Henry Mantilla, 35, of Cape Coral, Fla., were indicted by a federal grand jury in Las Vegas on April 22 on one count of conspiracy, two counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, two counts of trafficking in counterfeit labels and two counts of criminal copyright infringement.

Cabrera, a Cuban national, was charged with producing and selling counterfeit International Game Technology slot machines and counterfeit IGT computer programs, authorities said.

Cabrera and Mantilla conspired between August 2007 and April 15, 2009, to make and sell unauthorized copies of computer programs designed for IGT video slot machines and counterfeit IGT video slot machines with IGT's registered trademarks, all without IGT's permission, the indictment said.

The indictment also contains 13 forfeiture allegations for counterfeit items and up to $5 million in illegal proceeds from their alleged criminal activity.

If convicted on the conspiracy charge, each man faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The copyright and infringement labels charges also carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count. The charges of counterfeit goods carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine per count.

Cabrera was arrested June 8 in Riga, Latvia. He was extradited from Latvia to the United States on Oct. 23. Cabrera is the first person to be extradited from Latvia to the United States under a new extradition treaty between the United States and Latvia, which came into force on April 15.

At Monday's hearing, Cabrera pleaded not guilty and U.S. Magistrate Peggy A. Leen ordered him detained until trial, which is scheduled to begin Dec. 8. Mantilla pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on July 2 and trial is scheduled for Dec. 8 before U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro.