A man convicted of selling illegal Premier League match streams has been ordered to pay nearly £1 million back following a court ruling.
Steven King, who was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud in 2019, has been ordered by a judge to compensate the Premier League with £963,000 with three months. If he fails to pay the league, he faces having his current seven-year prison sentence extended by an additional six years and eight months.
King was one of three men found guilty of conducting an illegal operation under the name Dreambox, which was responsible for providing access to Premier League footage to “more than 1,000 pubs, clubs and homes throughout England and Wales.”
The Premier League has confirmed it has requested the returned money go to the public purse.
“This result clearly shows that supplying illegal streams is a criminal offence leading to prison sentences and significant financial consequences,” the Premier League general counsel, Kevin Plumb, said.
“We are pleased the courts have recognised the seriousness of piracy-related crimes and the Premier League has requested all money recovered goes back to public bodies, including law enforcement agencies, to help them continue the fantastic work they do in helping bring people like this to justice.
“The vast majority of our fans watch Premier League action via authorised sources but for those who don’t, they must be aware this is not only an illegal activity that can lead to custodial sentences but they also risk becoming victims of hacking and fraud.
“We will continue to work with law-enforcement to tackle piracy of our content and to educate fans on the dangers of watching Premier League matches via unauthorised streams.”
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