Men Behind Pirate Movie and TV Streaming Service Jetflicks Found Guilty

A national assemblage successful Las Vegas convicted 5 men who operated Jetflicks, a subscription TV and movie work that streamed pirated content, according to a property merchandise Thursday from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Jetflicks offered much than 118,000 tv episodes and 10,000 movies, making it larger than the combined offerings of Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and Amazon Prime.

The 5 men down the tract — Kristopher Dallmann, Douglas Courson, Felipe Garcia, Jared Jaurequi, and Peter Huber — were arrested successful 2019 and recovered blameworthy this week of conspiracy to perpetrate transgression copyright infringement. Dallmann was besides recovered blameworthy of 2 counts of wealth laundering by concealment and 3 counts of misdemeanor transgression copyright infringement, according to the DOJ.

Started successful 2007, Jetflicks boasted tens of thousands of subscribers successful the 2010s who were each paying $9.99 per period for entree to pirated content. The men acceptable up automated scripts to download contented from sites similar Pirate Bay and Torrentz earlier making them disposable connected their ain servers.

The DOJ says the men attempted to disguise Jetflicks arsenic an aviation amusement institution portion saying successful a connection that “digital piracy is not a victimless crime.”

“Their strategy generated millions of dollars successful transgression profits portion causing copyright owners to suffer out,” Nicole M. Argentieri, caput of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said successful a statement. “These convictions underscore the Criminal Division’s committedness to protecting intelligence spot rights by prosecuting integer piracy schemes and bringing offenders to justice.”

Courson, Garcia, Huber, and Jaurequi each look a maximum of 5 years successful prison, portion Dallmann could spot up to 48 years successful prison, according to the DOJ. A day for sentencing hasn’t been determined yet.

As Variety notes an aged subordinate of the Jetflicks group, Darryl Julius Polo, near to commencement his ain pirate streaming work called iStreamItAll, which had an adjacent larger room and charged $19.99 per month. Polo pleaded blameworthy successful 2020 and was sentenced to astir 5 years successful prison.

“As these convictions demonstrate, the FBI volition so analyse those who illegally nett from the originative works of others,” the DOJ said.