A United States Air Force veteran has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to providing illegal access to digital streaming services. The conviction is believed to be the first in the nation under the “Protecting Lawful Streaming Act” that went into effect in 2021.
Franklin Valverde Jr., 40, of Melbourne, Florida was sentenced earlier this month after pleading guilty to providing illegal access to digital streaming services, according to a Department of Justice release.
Evidence showed that Valverde made hundreds of thousands of dollars illegally selling access codes to individuals that allowed them to view the entire video libraries of Dish Network and Sling TV.
Valverde is now retired from the Air Force but was stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter when he began his involvement in the scheme to illegally sell the access codes, the release states.
According to evidence presented before the court, Valverde sold access codes to individuals, typically for $10 per month. The codes allowed the customers to illegally access all the copyrighted content of Dish Network and Sling TV, including pay-per-view sporting events, movies, and television programs. Valverde also provided websites and apps to his customers so that they could view the copyrighted materials.
The PLSA was introduced in Congress in 2020 as a provision of the COVID-19 Stimulus Bill. PLSA targets commercial, for-profit streaming piracy services that make money from illegally streaming copyrighted material. The PLSA specifically does not criminalize users of the illegal apps.
United States District Judge Mary G. Lewis sentenced Valverde to 12 months and one day imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. Valverde was also ordered to pay $22,639.27 in restitution, plus a fine of $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.