A UK man, jailed for selling illegal streaming devices with streams of Premiere League matches, has been ordered to pay back to £1 million of illegal proceeds.
Illegally trading under the names Dreambox, Dreambox TV Limited and Digital Switchover, Steven King worked with two other men to provide illegal access to Premiere League football to more than 1,000 pubs, clubs and homes in England and Wales.
King was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud with the illegal streaming devices in 2019 and was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison. A court ruling has led to an order which must see King forfeit the proceeds of his illegal activity, surrendering £963,000 within three months.
Failure to pay the fine will see King’s sentence extended by up to six years and eight months.
Kevin Plumb, general counsel, Premier League, commented: "This result clearly shows that supplying illegal streams is a criminal offence leading to prison sentences and significant financial consequences. 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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