Overview
- Heidi Richards, 52, who ran Trinity Software Distribution, was also fined $50,000 following her federal conviction.
- Between July 2018 and January 2023, Richards and accomplices bought tens of thousands of genuine Windows and Office COA labels from a Texas supplier, wiring $5,148,181.50.
- Employees were directed to hand-copy product keys from the labels into Excel spreadsheets, and the extracted keys were sold in bulk to customers worldwide.
- Prosecutors stressed that COA labels have no independent commercial value and cannot be lawfully sold separate from the licensed software or hardware.
- A federal jury found Richards guilty in November 2025, and the case was prosecuted by AUSA Risha Asokan and CCIPS trial attorney Jared Hosid.