A federal jury in Las Vegas has convicted five men accused of running one of the largest pirate IPTV services in the United States. Kristopher Dallmann, Douglas Courson, Felipe Garcia, Jared Jaurequi, and Peter Huber made millions through their subscription service, Jetflicks, which reportedly offered more content than Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and Amazon Prime. Four of the men face up to five years in prison, while Dallmann could face a maximum of 48 years.
In 2019, eight men from Las Vegas were indicted by a grand jury for conspiring to violate criminal copyright law through Jetflicks and iStreamitAll. The indictment accused the defendants of reproducing tens of thousands of copyrighted TV shows without authorization and distributing the content to a large audience of paid subscribers.
Jetflicks allegedly provided access to over 183,200 distinct TV show episodes, while iStreamitAll offered an even more extensive library, boasting over 118,479 TV shows and 10,980 movies, surpassing the content available on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
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Trial for Five Defendants in Las Vegas
While some defendants pleaded guilty in 2021, receiving sentences from one year to 57 months in prison, five went to trial last month. During the trial, Kristopher Dallmann, the alleged leader of Jetflicks, sought a mistrial, claiming that the evidence presented was inadmissible and damaging to the defense. The court denied his request, and all five men were found guilty by a federal jury this week.
Convictions for Jetflicks Operators
Dallmann, Courson, Garcia, Jaurequi, and Huber were convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Dallmann was also found guilty of two counts of money laundering by concealment and three counts of misdemeanour criminal copyright infringement.
“Their scheme generated millions in criminal profits while causing significant losses for copyright owners,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri. “These convictions highlight our commitment to protecting intellectual property rights and prosecuting digital piracy.”
U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada noted that the defendants conspired to reproduce and distribute thousands of copyrighted TV programs for personal gain, stating, “This case underscores our dedication to combating intellectual property theft and holding violators accountable.”
Disguising as an Aviation Entertainment Company
Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office noted the defendants’ unusual response when copyright complaints threatened their business. They tried to disguise Jetflicks as an aviation entertainment company. Dallmann initially claimed Jetflicks MoVi Entertainment System converted customers’ DVD collections for in-air viewing but later admitted that downloading TV shows from pirate sites and streaming them for a fee had become the main business.
Sentencing has not been scheduled yet. Courson, Garcia, Jaurequi, and Huber each face a maximum of five years in prison, while Dallmann could face up to 48 years, according to the Department of Justice.
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has not yet issued a press release on the convictions. However, MPA’s Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel Karyn Temple later commented, “This verdict is a landmark victory for intellectual property rights. We applaud the Department of Justice for successfully prosecuting these individuals who profited illegally from copyrighted works. The jury’s conviction underscores the criminal nature of these offences and their significant impact on the creative industry.”