GUNS N' ROSES: Alleged 'Chinese Democracy' Leaker Appears In Court

The Smoking Gun web site has posted an excerpt from the affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in connection with the arrest of a man who allegedly posted nine pirated tracks from "Chinese Democracy", the long-overdue album from GUNS N' ROSES. Read it at this location.

Kevin Cogill (a.k.a. Skwerl),27, was arrested at his home early today (Wednesday, August 27) on suspicion of violating federal copyright laws, authorities said. He is accused of posting the songs, which were being prepared for commercial release, on the Internet blog Antiquiet in June, according to the affidavit. The site received so much traffic after the songs were posted that it crashed, the affidavit states.

Cogill appeared in court this afternoon, where his bail was set at $10,000. He wore a T-shirt; his girlfriend sat court and afterward said, "Rally the troops," but declined further comment, according to The Associated Press.

Cogill reportedly used to work in the distribution department of Universal Music and is now a web designer. He told Rolling Stone that he got the music from an "anonymous online source." He also explained he was initially told to take the files down by "a really cool guy from the GN'R camp that was a middleman between someone who was very angry and me. He was trying to reach out and see if I'd go without a fight, which is more or less what I did."

The blogger thought the ordeal was over until two young FBI officers he described as "Mulder and Scully types" showed up at his day job and questioned him for 15 minutes. "It was kind of an ambush," Cogill said. "When I came back from lunch, they were waiting in the lobby for me. It's a little creepy they know where I work."