A judge immediately sentenced him to 18 months in a federal prison for his unique con that nearly bankrupted a small computer-parts maker in Fremont.
Agents think there are more victims who are afraid to come forward.
FBI agents have advertised in local newspapers, asking victims to contact them. Yen was successful because he tapped into a unique type of paranoia in Silicon Valley, especially among the smaller computer companies, investigators say. More than 90 percent of software for sale on online auction sites is pirated, according to a new survey by a software industry trade group. A spokesman suggests that while popular programs are going for a fraction of the price of licensed copies, the pirate versions are often no bargain. Whether or not that information is copyrighted hasn't stopped thousands of Gnutella users from peering directly at each other's hard drives to download whatever's being offered.