LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A group of men accused of running "one of the largest unauthorized streaming services in the United States" were found guilty by a federal jury in Las Vegas this week.
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced the convictions of Kristopher Dallmann, Douglas Courson, Felipe Garcia, Jared Jaurequi and Peter Huber, who prosecutors say operated a subscription-based streaming service called Jetflicks.
FBI agents in Las Vegas helped the agency's Washington field office investigate the case. Jetflicks was registered to a residential address near Desert Inn Road and Eastern Avenue, though the business is now listed as "permanently closed."
Justice Department officials say the men used computer scripts to scour pirate websites for illegal copies of television shows, ultimately amassing a catalog "larger than the combined catalogs of Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and Amazon Prime," DOJ officials wrote.
The jury was presented with evidence that the men had tens of thousands of paid subscribers and made millions of dollars through Jetflicks.
When the defendants encountered complaints with copyright holders and problems with payment service providers, they "tried to disguise Jetflicks as an aviation entertainment company," said David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office.
"Digital piracy is not a victimless crime," Sundberg said. "As these convictions demonstrate, the FBI will indeed investigate those who illegally profit from the creative works of others."
Dallman, Courson, Garcia, Jaurequi and Huber were convicted of criminal copyright infringement, the DOJ says.
Dallman was convicted on an additional two counts of money laundering by concealment and three counts of misdemeanor criminal copyright infringement. He faces a maximum penalty of 48 years in prison, while the other four defendants could spend up to five years behind bars.
The men will be sentenced by a federal district court judge. The date of their sentencing had yet to be scheduled as of this report.
