Illegal streaming ringleader facing 10 further years in prison if £2.35m not repaid

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsSteve McClaren InterviewThe Mind of John W. HenryTitle Race TrackerIllegal streaming ringleader facing 10 further years in prison if £2.35m not repaidThe pirate streaming company made in excess of £7m ($9.5m) in five years Michael Regan/Getty Images Share articleThe leader of an illegal streaming gang sentenced to 11 years in prison will face a further 10 years behind bars if he does not return £2.35million ($3.1m) within the next three months. Mark Gould — who was convicted of providing pirated Premier League streams via the Flawless service in 2023 — was ordered to forfeit the proceeds of the operation via a confiscation order issued by Derby Crown Court earlier this week. The pirate organisation — which had 30 employees and generated 50,000 customers — made in excess of £7m ($9.5m) in five years and investigations have continued since the initial sentencing. Four other men who were convicted due to their involvement in Flawless — which also provided services under the names Shared VPS, Optimal and Cosmic — were told they had to pay back a further £1.4m ($1.9m) combined, or also risk extended prison time. The £3.75m ($5.1m) sum across five defendants is the second largest figure ever ordered by UK courts to be recouped from illegal streaming operators. The proceeds of the criminal enterprise will go to the Treasury, courts and law enforcement bodies. The Flawless convictions came after a private prosecution by the Premier League and anti-piracy organisation, FACT which began in 2017. Premier League Director of Legal – Enforcement Stefan Sergot called it “a challenging case” and highlighted the “severity and extent of the crimes” in a statement. “I am very pleased that confiscation of this magnitude has been ordered,” said Doug Love, Principal Trading Standards Investigator at Hammersmith & Fulham Council, who also supported the operation. He said it is “essential that offenders whose greed leads them to commit offences are deprived of profiting from their crimes” and issued a warning that “anyone tempted to commit similar offences should be deterred by the record prison sentences and the size of the confiscation orders in this case.” There has been a growing trend of severe punishments for illegal streaming operations pursued by European leagues. Last week, an illegal streaming ringleader — nicknamed ‘Dash, The Iranian’ — was fined £7.5million ($10.2m) and sentenced to 23 months in prison following the conclusion of an eight-year investigation in Spain. The Flawless case featured in a special investigation from The Athletic — The Underground World of Illegal Streaming — which looked at the growing trend of illegal streaming and links to criminality. A subsequent survey found 47 per cent of more than 5,000 subscribers said they watch football via illegal streams. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms