May 30, (THEWILL) – In a significant blow to illegal streaming operations, five men were imprisoned after being convicted of various charges, including conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and contempt of court.
The English Premier League announced that the gang, which had over 50,000 subscribers, managed to generate more than £7 million over a span of five years. The mastermind behind the operation, Mark Gould, a resident of London, received the longest sentence of 11 years at Chesterfield Crown Court on Tuesday.
Alongside Gould, his co-defendants, Steven Gordon, Peter Jolley, William Brown, and Christopher Felvus played key roles in offering cut-price subscriptions for Premier League matches to their extensive customer base. The gang provided illegal access to matches from hundreds of channels worldwide and offered tens of thousands of on-demand films and TV shows.
Incidentally, a sixth member of the gang, Zak Smith, evaded sentencing and is now being sought by authorities with a warrant issued for his arrest. However, the EPL revealed that the illegal streaming syndicate employed 30 individuals, including one who worked undercover at an anti-piracy company. William Brown, from Stoke-on-Trent, attempted to claim innocence by asserting that he was an undercover informant working in the interests of law enforcement authorities and broadcasters.
Nevertheless, the 33-year-old was unanimously convicted by a jury after a seven-week trial. The EPL further accused Brown of using his technical expertise to hack into legitimate customers’ accounts and copy streams, with the intention of shifting the blame to them if identified by authorities.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
