So, there were the "equivalent of 421 CD burners," right, meaning actually only 156 burners. Well, the AP obviously misunderstood the phrase "equivalent of."

From an AP article, via CNN:

Last week, Secret Service agents in New York arrested three men and seized 35,000 illegally copied music discs, 10,000 movies on DVD and 421 compact disc burners that are used to make the counterfeit products.

Article: http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/17/music.piracy.ap/index.html

That statement there certainly looks like it's supposed to be taken as fact. Apparently, it seems the RIAA spin was successful.