Las Vegas, NV – A federal jury in Las Vegas has convicted five individuals for their involvement in an elaborate scheme to illegally stream popular television shows and movies through a service named Jetflicks. The Department of Justice announced the convictions on Thursday. The defendants operated Jetflicks as a subscription-based platform where users could access and download copyrighted content without authorization from the owners.
Principal deputy assistant attorney general Nicole M. Argentieri described Jetflicks as an illicit streaming service that distributed hundreds of thousands of stolen TV episodes. The Department of Justice stated that the group unlawfully obtained content from various pirate sites and aggregated it into Jetflicks for subscriber access. The service claimed to have a content library surpassing major legitimate streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
Users could subscribe to Jetflicks for a monthly fee of $10, granting them access to watch shows on multiple devices shortly after their release on official channels. The defendants allegedly automated the theft of TV shows and distributed the copyrighted content to their subscribers. The indictment revealed that the group generated millions in monetary harm to the rightful program owners.
In an attempt to evade legal ramifications, the defendants reportedly tried to disguise Jetflicks as an aviation entertainment service after facing pressures to remove unauthorized content. At one stage, the service boasted over 37,000 paid subscribers and a vast library of 183,200 television episodes. Issues such as password sharing among subscribers led to complications for Jetflicks.
Following Jetflicks’ troubles, one member of the group ventured out to establish a new operation called iStreamItAll, offering a similar illegal streaming service. Darryl Julius Polo, also known as djppimp, created iStreamItAll to provide users with unauthorized access to TV shows and movies for a monthly fee. Polo later pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement and conspiracy charges, resulting in a prison sentence and a significant fine.
The organization of Jetflicks involved different members handling various aspects like operations, management, and technical functions. The defendants faced potential prison sentences, with Dallmann facing the longest term of up to 48 years. However, final sentencing dates for the defendants have not yet been determined. The case highlights the consequences of engaging in illegal streaming services and the significant impact on content creators and rightful owners.