Yesterday, five men from Nevada, including a German citizen, received sentences of up to 84 months in prison for operating Jetflicks, one of the largest illegal television streaming services in the United States. The sentencing took place on May 29 and 30.
“The defendants operated Jetflicks, an illegal paid streaming service that made available more television episodes than any licensed streaming service on the market,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “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 to ensure that large-scale infringers are brought to justice and punished for their crimes.”
“Digital crimes are not victimless crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “The copyright owners lost millions of dollars as a result of the illegal paid streaming service. These sentences underscore our joint commitment with the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and FBI to deter and disrupt intellectual property crime via thorough investigation and prosecution of those who violate federal intellectual property laws.”
“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.”
“These sentences are the result of robust collaboration between the FBI and our law enforcement partners in endeavoring to safeguard intellectual property rights and ensure accountability for criminal activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Amir Ehsaei for the FBI Las Vegas Division.
Following a 14-day trial ending in June 2024, a federal jury convicted Kristopher Lee Dallmann, Peter H. Huber, Jared Edward Jaurequi (also known as Jared Edwards), Felipe Garcia, and Douglas M. Courson—all from Las Vegas—of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement. Dallmann was also convicted on charges including criminal copyright infringement by distribution, public performance, and money laundering.
The court sentenced Dallmann to 84 months; Huber received 18 months; Jaurequi got time served (almost five months), along with home confinement and community service; Garcia was sentenced to probation with some prison time; Courson also received probation with brief imprisonment.
Court documents revealed that Jetflicks allowed users to stream or download copyrighted TV programs without permission from copyright holders at times boasting more episodes than Netflix or Hulu combined.
The defendants utilized automated software scripts worldwide hosting pirated content making it accessible across various devices for subscribers often within a day after airing originally.
Each defendant had roles ranging from management programming design customer support subscriptions revenue acquisition technical assistance among others contributing significantly towards running operations smoothly generating millions illegally estimated $37 million value based upon retail pricing models employed creating inventory streams pirated episodes provided customers globally.
Originally indicted alongside eight others Eastern District Virginia transferred Nevada trial resulted convictions sentencing recent days included additional guilty pleas earlier involving similar cases such iStreamItAll led Darryl Polo Luis Villarino serving respective terms previously ordered another separate proceeding Yoany Vaillant awaiting future judgment scheduled September following conviction late last year related charges conspiracy commit infringement likewise handled Washington Field Office collaborative efforts involving multiple agencies prosecutorial teams international cooperation securing successful outcomes against perpetrators involved complex schemes undermining industry stakeholders interests adversely impacted actions undertaken contrary legal standards established protecting creative works globally recognized authorities responsible oversight ensuring compliance regulations governing practices concerned safeguarding proprietary assets affected parties involved 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