Facebook post of ‘Deadpool’ gets 5 million views, then the FBI knocks on his door

A Fresno man was arrested Tuesday on a federal charge of copyright infringement for allegedly posting the movie “Deadpool” to his Facebook page, the government said.

Due to the illegal upload, more than 5 million people could view the film copyrighted by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, the government said.

Trevon Maurice Franklin, 21, who used the screen name “Tre-Von M. King,” allegedly uploaded “Deadpool” eight days after its February 2016 release to theaters, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

The movie website IMBd states “Deadpool” is about “a fast-talking mercenary with a morbid sense of humor (who) is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers and a quest for revenge.” Actor Ryan Reynolds was cast in the lead role.

Franklin was charged in a one-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on April 7. The indictment charges him with reproducing and distributing a copyrighted work, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison.

He made his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon in United States District Court in Fresno but did not enter a plea. An arraignment will be held at a later date. He is not in custody and no bond has been set.

The case stems from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Facebook post of ‘Deadpool’ gets 5 million views, then the FBI knocks on his door."