Arrests were expected later today.

The nine were indicted as part of a sting operation targeting a ring that pirated copyrighted movies, video and games by the thousands, Kubo said.

The group, which investigators said operated for at least two years, rented, purchased or downloaded copyrighted material off the Internet and then mass-produced it and sold it to others for profit, Kubo said.

Federal prosecutors decided to pursue the case because of the "egregious amount of material" pirated, Kubo said.

"My understanding was that the violations were in the thousands," he said. "What they did robbed revenues from theaters, game owners and video store owners. And it’s just plain wrong — it’s stealing."

Kubo said said members sold the pirated merchandise primarily at swap meets and to individuals.

If found guilty, the nine could each face five years in jail and $250,000 in fines per violation. The arrests were part of a year-long investigation by the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office, Kubo said.

Federal investigators and prosecutors estimate that pirating of copyrighted materials is becoming more widespread in the Islands, Kubo said.

"We are taking this case in order to deter those who would think of counterfeiting copyrighted materials. The copying and distributing copyrighted material is a federal offense, period. And I don’t want to to be splitting hairs as to when we would be acting," Kubo said.