[Via CNET]

Well, whadayaknow? Turns out the RIAA aren’t the most opportunistic peckerheads in Web-land, after all.

This is just classic. A University of Georgia internet security analyst, whose job it was to monitor the university network for illegal file-sharing, did his job alright — and then got either drunk with power, seriously hard up for cash, or both. According to a report by the Athens Banner-Herald, this real classy dude tried to extort money out of the file-sharers he caught, until one of them blew the whistle. Local authorities set up a sort of sting operation in which an undercover cop posed as the whistle-blower, met the jerk in person, let money change hands, and then slapped on the cuffs.  Where’s Chris Hansen when you need him?

The only thing that might make this story juicier (aside from it turning out that the guy was in a band himself) is if the RIAA decided to step in and sue the security putz for aiding and abetting, because truly, there is no honor among thieves. And yet, who would you rather have rip you off: one random bozo, or the overlords of the music industry?