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Man flees country after conviction for selling illegal set top boxes with sports and pay-per-view
It is believed the operation made around £350k
A man has been ordered to pay over £250,000 after being convicted of selling set top boxes providing illegal access to Sky TV, BT Sports and Virgin.
Michael Hornung, thirty-eight, was sentenced in his absence to four and a half years in prison for selling unauthorised decoders back in June.
And on Wednesday (September 14th), he was ordered in his absence to pay £258,642.95.
Hornug, of Tameside, is estimated to have sold around 2,700 set top boxes over a three year period between January 2014 and January 2017.
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It is believed that the operation made around £350,000, with an estimated loss of around £2m to the media companies.
He was arrested in February 2017 following a joint investigation between Greater Manchester Police and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (F.A.C.T) but, while he initially cooperated with the court proceedings, he later failed to attend his trial and was convicted in his absence.
Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court heard this week how Hornung had fled to Northern Cyprus, a territory with which the UK has no extradition treaty.
Prosecutor Ari Alibhai said Hornung had supplied equipment that allowed customers to access ‘premium’ subscription TV, including pay-per-view events such as boxing, without paying for it.
He also ran an account called ‘NoHatsNoTrainers’ which advertised the devices for sale on a website called CS-world.
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Mr. Alibhai said: “This was a sophisticated and remunerative business supplying customers the means to access TV without paying the broadcasters or others with intellectual property rights to that content.”
F.A.C.T Chief Executive Kieron Sharp added: “Today’s confiscation order makes clear the consequences of providing illegal streaming services, a serious criminal offence which in this case has led to a substantial prison sentence and now severe financial penalties.
“We are pleased the court have recognised the seriousness of piracy-related crime and we thank Greater Manchester Police for their support and assistance during the course of a complex investigation.
“The money recovered will go back to public bodies, including law enforcement agencies, which assists them in their efforts to bring criminals to justice.”