PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Some prices on eBay can look like a real steal — and in the case of Jeremiah Mondello, that's exactly what it was.

Mondello is going to federal prison for four years for selling counterfeit software on the online auction service.

The 23-year-old also admitted to identity theft for stealing personal information and using it to establish online payment accounts.

Federal prosecutors said that Mondello initiated thousands of separate online auctions between December 2005 and October 2007, using more than 40 fictitious usernames and online payment accounts to sell more than $1 million worth of counterfeit software.

The scheme generated more than $400,000 in profit for Mondello before the Software & Information Industry Association discovered it during routine checks for online piracy and informed federal investigators.

"He was a very smart guy," said Keith Kupferschmid, senior vice president of intellectual property policy and enforcement for the trade group.

"He had a very complex system for pirating software on eBay," Kupferschmid said.

Mondello could have used the stolen identities to drain bank accounts dry, but he realized there was a lot more money in pirating software without attracting attention, Kupferschmid said.

"What was especially disconcerting in the Mondello case was how he went about it," Kupferschmid said. "He stole different people's IDs to make it harder to catch him."

Acting Assistant U.S. Attorney General Matthew Friedrich said the Mondello case is an example of increased Justice Department efforts to police online auctions.

"Some criminals may view online auctions as an anonymous means to sell stolen intellectual property, but this case proves that law enforcement can identify and prosecute offenders," Friedrich said in a statement released by his office in Washington, D.C.

Kupferschmid also said the SIIA filed nine new lawsuits this week against individual sellers of pirated software on eBay, bringing the total to 26 cases.

Nichola Sharpe, a spokeswoman for eBay, said the auction service has been working with the software association and other retailers to crack down on counterfeiters and fake goods.

"We welcome the legal action they're taking and we'll do all we can to assist them," Sharpe said from company headquarters in San Jose, Calif.

U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken also ordered Mondello to serve three years on probation, perform 450 hours of community service following his release and forfeit more than $225,000.

Mondello pleaded guilty in May to criminal copyright infringement, aggravated identity theft and mail fraud.