Following the trail of the pirate IPTV business
After Kent County Trading Standards, “a body that maintains a safe and fair business environment in which local businesses can operate and grow and Kent consumers can engage in business with confidence,” found a pirate IPTV businessbegan to follow the clues to discover those responsible.
Decoders configured for piracy and access to illegal transmissions via pirate IPTV were sold, which were advertised on Facebook and whose sales were made through a page called ‘BillsTV’with devices and subscription levels offered at various prices and then paid for through PayPal.
Sentenced to 45 months in prison
Billy Collin Arthur Martin of London and Darren Bough of Dover were arrested in 2019 and are awaiting trial. During the 18 months that their illegal business lasted, they had five different PayPal accounts, which generated over half a million pounds in a relatively short period.
“In the space of approximately 18 months, the fraud saw criminals in excess of £540,000. Bough received £399,536 and Martin £140,568, all believed to be connected to this illegal activity.”
Although it may seem that it was worth it, once the criminal trial was carried out, the sentence was elevated, so, in a last desperate gesture, they asked not to go to prison, requesting leniency from the Court. Judge Rupert Lowe of the Canterbury Crown Court took his considerations into account, but found that the couple’s crime had been “too serious” to avoid prison sentences.
Judge Low sentenced Martin to 24 months in prison and Bough to 21 months in prison for a sum of fraudulent trade crimes, money laundering and copyright infringement crimes.