A man who was convicted of selling illegal streaming devices (ISDs) has been ordered to pay back more than £520,000 to the ‘public purse’.
In April 2018, John Dodds was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison having pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to defraud. The devices he sold were used to receive liver coverage of the Premier League from overseas broadcasters.
Dodds sold the ISDs to hundreds of pubs and clubs in North East England. But many of the devices were found to be faulty.
Premier League Director of Legal Services Kevin Plumb said: “This is a welcome judgment and we are pleased the courts have recognised how serious an issue illegal streaming is – it is a crime which has very significant consequences.”
Dodds attempted to disguise his activity by hiding large amounts of cash in his house and placing property assets in his daughter’s name, in what the judge found to be ‘a sham’.
“The defendant has now been ordered to forfeit the proceeds of his criminal activities, which we have requested go directly back to the public purse. The money recovered will go towards funding the courts and law enforcement agencies to help continue the brilliant work they do in helping bring people like this to justice.”
Dodds was arrested following an investigation led by the Premier League working in partnership with FACT.
