More than 50,000 fans received discounted subscriptions to Premier League games from an illegal streaming group, who have now been sentenced to prison.
Five individuals were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and contempt of court, according to the Premier League, after making more than £7 million over five years.
According to reports, Mark Gould of London was the operation’s mastermind and was given an 11-year prison sentence on Tuesday at Chesterfield Crown Court.
The 36-year-old and co-defendants Steven Gordon, Peter Jolley, William Brown, and Christopher Felvus provided illicit access to hundreds of channels worldwide, as well as tens of thousands of on-demand films and TV episodes.
Zak Smith, a sixth gang member, failed to appear in court for sentence and a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to the Premier League.
According to the league, the unlawful streaming enterprises had 30 employees, with one working undercover at a specialist anti-piracy firm.
Brown, from Stoke-on-Trent, contested the charges, claiming to have been an undercover informant working with law enforcement and broadcasters.
However, after a seven-week trial, the 33-year-old was unanimously convicted by a jury. The Premier League said he used his technical abilities to hack legitimate customers’ accounts to access and copy streams, intending for them to shoulder the responsibility if they were found by authorities.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s commercial standards team and the intellectual property protection organization Fact both supported the prosecution.