Man Accused of Bootlegging Hundreds of DVDs

A west suburban Melrose Park man was arrested Tuesday after officers allegedly found hundreds of bootleg DVDs and recording equipment in his car during a traffic stop.

Prudencio Nepomuceno-Zayuca, 39, of the 1200 block of North 17th Avenue in Melrose Park, faces one felony count of unlawful use of recorded sounds or images, as well as traffic citations failure to yield to emergency vehicle and driving on a suspended license, according to a news release from Chicago police.

Officers stopped his car in the 5400 block of North Harlem Avenue after he failed to yield to an ambulance with its emergency equipment activated, police said. The vehicle was impounded after police discovered he was driving on a suspended license.

When police searched the vehicle as part of impound procedures, they discovered 400 bootleg DVDs, 500 blank DVDs, labels, label-making equipment and two pieces of recording equipment, police claim.

Some of the bootleg movies are still in theaters, police said.

At a hearing Wednesday, Nepomuceno-Zayuca was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond, according to Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokesman Stephen Campbell. He will next appear in court March 11.

Contact Us