Retired airman sentenced for illegally selling TV access codes, DOJ says

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS/Gray News) - A retired Florida airman was sentenced to federal prison after being convicted of providing illegal access to digital streaming services, according to the Department of Justice.

The department says Franklin Valverde Jr., 40, of Melbourne, Florida made hundreds of thousands of dollars by illegally selling access codes that allowed users to view the entire video libraries of Dish Network and Sling TV.

These video libraries included all copyrighted content of both Dish Network and Sling TV, including pay-per-view sporting events, movies and television shows.

Valverde was formerly stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina when he began the scheme, DOJ added. He would typically charge users $10 a month for the codes.

The DOJ said Valverde’s conviction is believed to be the first in the nation under the 2021 Protecting Lawful Streaming Act (PLSA).

The act was Introduced as a provision of the COVID-19 Stimulus Bill, and is intended to punish piracy services that profit from illegally streaming copyrighted material.

Valverde pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervision upon release.

He was also ordered to pay $22,639.27 in restitution as well as a $250,000 fine.

Copyright 2024 WIS via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.