On Thursday, February 2, 2012, just days before Super Bowl XLVI, U.S. prosecutors announced that they had seized 16 websites for illegally streaming live sports and PPV events over the Internet.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the 16 websites provided links giving viewers access to other sites that hosted pirated telecasts from the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.
"These websites and their operators deprive sports leagues and networks of legitimate revenue" in what amounts to "virtual thievery," said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan, who announced the website seizures.
The websites are firstrow.tv, firstrowsports.com, firstrowsports.net, firstrowsports.tv, hq-streams.tv, robplay.tv, soccertvlive.net, sports95.com, sports95.net, sports95.org, sportswwe.net, sportswwe.tv, sportswwe.com, xonesports.tv, youwwe.com and youwwe.net.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that a Michigan man has been charged with running nine of the illegal sites. The defendant charged in the case is Yonjo Quiroa, 28, who faces one count of criminal infringement of a copyright.
Prosecutors said Quiroa, a.k.a Ronaldo Solano, operated his websites from his home in Comstock Park, Michigan, receiving at least $13,000 from online merchants who advertised with him.
The complaint against Quiroa outlines his alleged Internet piracy from February 2010 to January 2012. According to the complaint, an agent from the Department of Homeland Security posed as a World Wrestling Entertainment representative and offered to buy various domain names associated with the defendant. The agent received a response from Quiroa offering to make a deal.
Prosecutors will seek the forfeiture of the domain names for the 16 seized websites. Quiroa, who is in federal custody in Michigan, is expected to be transferred to New York. The case is U.S. v. Quiroa, US District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-mag-00241.
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