Five individuals have been arrested for operating Jetflix, one of the largest illegal streaming services in the US, and are now facing potential prison sentences.
An investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington, D.C. field office revealed that Jetflix hosted a vast collection of pirated TV show episodes and movies, surpassing the content available on popular platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Vudu.
A federal court in Las Vegas has found Christopher Dallman, Douglas Cawthon, Felipe Garcia, Jared Haurecki, and Peter Huber guilty of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement.
Dallman, the ringleader, was also convicted on charges of concealing money laundering.
David Sandberg, a spokesman for the FBI, stated, “Digital piracy is not a victimless crime, and as these convictions demonstrate, the FBI will investigate those who illegally profit from the creative works of others.”
The Department of Justice has reported that the illicit service charged users $9.99 per month and garnered millions in subscription revenue.
In a statement released by the Department of Justice, it was revealed that the Jetflix Group utilized advanced computer programs to locate unauthorized copies of TV programming on pirate websites, download them, and store them on Jetflix’s servers.
The illicit operation dates back to as early as 2007, as evidenced by presented materials.
Dallman could potentially face a maximum of 48 years behind bars, while his accomplices may be sentenced to up to five years in prison.
Source: www.theguardian.com
