Five people have been sentenced for their roles in running one of the biggest illegal television streaming services in the US, part of a historic crackdown on digital piracy. Over a number of years, the service reportedly made millions of dollars by providing thousands of pirated movies and TV series. According to federal authorities, the defendants were involved in a complex scheme that circumvented reputable subscription-based platforms to unlawfully distribute copyrighted content. For copyright holders and anti-piracy enforcement, the sentencing represents a significant victory.“By building and running one of the largest unauthorized streaming services in the U.S., these individuals not only stole from content creators and legitimate streaming services, they undermined the integrity of our economy and the rule of law,” said Assistant Director Jose A. Perez of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “These sentencings are a reminder that illegal actions have consequences. The FBI and our partners are unwavering in our commitment to protect intellectual property rights and hold criminals accountable.” With tens of thousands of paying subscribers, the illicit streaming network pretended to be a legitimate company while reselling media content that had been stolen from compromised networks and subscription services. The group made significant profits by undercutting legitimate platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and HBO, according to authorities. The Department of Justice confiscated digital infrastructure, servers, and financial assets associated with the streaming service during the investigation. The convicted individuals now face significant restitution payments and years in federal prison.
Five Nevada men, including a German citizen, have been sentenced to up to 84 months in prison for running Jetflicks, one of the largest illegal television streaming services in the United States. The defendants operated Jetflicks, an illegal paid streaming service that made available more television episodes than any licensed streaming service on the market. This scheme generated millions of dollars in criminal profits and hurt thousands of U.S. companies and individuals who owned the copyrights to these shows but never received a penny in compensation from Jetflicks. The sentences issued in this case demonstrate the Criminal Division’s commitment to protect American creativity and ensure that large-scale infringers are brought to justice and punished for their crimes.
The defendants ran a site called Jetflicks, an online subscription-based service headquartered in Las Vegas, that permitted users to stream and download copyrighted television programs without the permission of the relevant copyright owners. The defendants used automated software and computer scripts to scour sites around the world hosting pirated content, downloading, processing, and storing illegal content, and then making it immediately available on servers in the United States and Canada to tens of thousands of paid subscribers located throughout the United States for streaming and/or downloading. The government conservatively estimated the value of the copyright infringement in the case at $37.5 million.
