Gang who made millions illegally streaming Premier League games are jailed
30.05.2023 - 18:37
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
An illegal streaming gang sold cut-price subscriptions to Premier League matches to more than 50,000 football fans.
Five men have been jailed after they were convicted of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and contempt of court, the Premier League said. The gang generated more than £7 million from their illegal trade in the space of five years.
Mark Gould, 36, from London, was reported to have masterminded the operation. He was handed an 11-year prison sentence at Chesterfield Crown Court today (May 30).
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Along with his co-defendants - Steven Gordon, Peter Jolley, William Brown and Christopher Felvus - Gould offered illegal access to matches from hundreds of channels around the world, as well as tens of thousands of on-demand films and TV shows.
A sixth gang member, Zak Smith, failed to appear at court for sentencing and a warrant has been issued for his arrest, the Premier League said. The illegal streaming businesses also had 30 employees, with one undercover at a specialist anti-piracy company, the league said.
Brown, from Stoke-on-Trent, denied conspiracy to defraud, claiming to have been an undercover informant acting in the interests of law enforcement authorities and broadcasters. But the 33-year-old was unanimously convicted by a jury after a seven-week trial as the Premier League said he used his technical skills to hack legitimate customers’ accounts to access and copy streams – intending for them to take the blame if identified by authorities.
Brown was jailed for four years and nine months, the Premier League said.
Jolley, 41, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, was handed a prison sentence of five years and two