MOVIES - May 8, 1993

Picture Pirates: Authorities in Fairfax, Va., have seized more than 50,000 illegal copies of videotaped movies in what the industry says is the largest raid of its kind. The raid, by the FBI-led Asian Organized Crime Task Force at Professional Services Inc., also netted 348 videotape recorders, many of which were being used when officials served their search warrant, as well as computers and color copiers used to make labels for the movies. Officials said that many of the videotapes seized had titles in Korean or Chinese. Sources said the pirated tapes were sold to video store owners for $20 to $40, compared with $60 to $90 for legitimate copies.