A 41-year-old man from Liverpool has been given a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to charges of promoting and selling unlicensed access to premium movies and sport.
Kevin James O’Donnell’s activities were discovered following an investigation by anti-piracy organisation FACT and Merseyside Police Cyber Crime Unit.
The investigation commenced in July 2022 after FACT uncovered that O’Donnell was actively promoting an illegal IPTV subscription service on Facebook. Operating under the alias ‘Kevo James’, his account boasted over 3,600 members and was used as a platform to sell modified Firesticks. The devices has been configured to provide unauthorised access to movie and sport undermining the commercial interests of rights holders Sky and TNT Sports.
It is estimated that O’Donnell made over £130,000 defrauding content owners of over half a million pounds.
Kieron Sharp, CEO of FACT, said: “We are immensely grateful for the diligent work carried out by Merseyside Police Cyber Crime Unit. Their collaboration with FACT has been instrumental in holding O’Donnell accountable for his actions. This case highlights the importance of protecting legitimate providers as well as the significant impact that coordinated law enforcement efforts can have on combating digital piracy.
The message is very clear: if you sell a device that provides access to content that is not licensed to you or owned by you, you could face criminal investigation, prosecution, and possible conviction.”
Detective Inspector Steve Frame added: “We have been working closely with FACT to ensure that O’Donnell is made to answer for his actions, and this was a great example of how police and industry experts can come together to tackle this type of criminality. The investigation found that O’Donnell had made a significant amount of money from selling these illegally adapted firesticks and had done so over a number of years through Facebook and WhatsApp.
Modifications to Firesticks are an increasing threat from the pirates that have resulted in a number of prosecutions.
In March, one person was arrested, and 10 others were interviewed under caution in an investigation into the piracy of Premier League matches.
