A gang illegally streaming Barclays Premier League football matches at cut-price subscription has been jailed in England. The Premier League said that five individuals, all men, were convicted of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and contempt of court. Through their illegal streaming business, the gang had generated 7 million pounds in five years.
Mark Gould, who is from London, reportedly masterminded the operation. Chesterfield Crown Court on Tuesday (May 31) handed him an 11-year prison sentence.
Gould (36) and co-defendants Peter Jolley, Steven Gordon, Christopher Felvus and William Brown facilitated illegal access to football match streaming from hundreds of channels around the world. They also offered tens of thousands of on-demand films and TV shows.
Zak Smith, a sixth gang member, was not present at the court for sentencing. A warrant has now been issued for his arrest, said the Premier League.
According to the information released by the league, there were 30 employees working at this illegal streaming business. There was also an undercover employee from a specialist anti-piracy company.
William Brown, who is from Stoke-on-Trent, denied having committed these offences and claimed that he was an undercover informant at the illegal operation and was working in the interests of the law.
However, the 33-year-old was convicted by the jury who took a unanimous decision. The trial went on for seven-weeks. Premier League reportedly said that Brown used his tech skills to hack accounts of legitimate customers in order to gain access and copy streams. He also intended for the blame to fall on genuine customers if the operation was discovered by authorities.
Sky Sports reported that the prosecution was supported by Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s trading standards team and Fact, an intellectual property protection organisation.
“Today’s sentencing is the result of a long and complex prosecution of a highly sophisticated operation,” said Premier League general counsel Kevin Plumb as quoted by Sky Sports.
“The sentences handed down, which are the longest sentences ever issued for piracy-related crimes, vindicate the efforts made to bring these individuals to justice and reflect the severity and extent of the crimes.
“This prosecution is another concrete example of the clear links between piracy and wider criminality, a warning we repeatedly make.
“While most Premier League fans enjoy watching our games in a safe way, those who were customers of these services were effectively supporting individuals involved in other sinister and dangerous organised crime.
“The Premier League’s substantial financial contribution to the entire football pyramid is made possible through the ability to sell our broadcast rights.
“We are pleased that through rulings such as this, the courts continue to show that they recognise the importance of safeguarding the Premier League’s rights.
“We will continue to protect our rights and our fans by investigating and prosecuting illegal operators at all levels.”
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