As reported in The Recycler, Gareth Raynor ran an eBay business called Genuine Ink, which saw him purchasing cheap compatible Chinese cartridges and selling them on disguised as OEM products.
He pleaded guilty to 14 counts of counterfeiting and one of fraud, for which he will be receiving nine months. In addition Gaynor will serve six months for breaching a suspended sentence he received in 2008 for racially aggravated assault.
His Rugby League club Celtic Crusaders confirmed that his contract has been terminated, but may resign him after his prison term.
When trading standards raided his home in 2008, they found thousands of cartridges as well as emails asking his suppliers to make the cartridges seem as genuine as possible.
He is believed to have sold as many as 3,000 cartridges, as well as counterfeit Nintendo DS and Game Boy games, making profits of around £36,000 from 2007 to 2008.
Raynor had previously enjoyed a successful rugby career, including winning six caps for Great Britain and scoring the match-winning try against Australia at the Tri Nations in 2006.