Florida Software Distributor Sentenced for Illicit Microsoft COA Trafficking

A Florida software distributor, Heidi Richards of Trinity Software Distribution, was convicted and sentenced for operating a scheme that purchased genuine Microsoft COA labels, extracted product activation keys, and sold those keys separately from the licensed software. The article explains the mechanics of the trafficking, why COA labels are targeted by criminals, the legal prohibition against selling COAs separately, and notes the case was prosecuted by the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section as part of broader efforts to protect software licensing integrity.