A man who made more than £1 million by running three illegal streaming websites has been jailed, while his brother is now subject of a suspended prison sentence.
Stephen Woodward sold illegal access to copyrighted content through the websites IPTV Hosting, Helix Hosting and Black and White TV.
He was said to have used the funds to buy designer clothes and jewellery, holidays and a Jaguar F-Type V8 coupe, worth £91,000.
His brother, Christopher Woodward, received £126,000, derived from the sales of the illegal streaming websites.
Following an investigation by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police, the brothers were sentenced at York Crown Court on Friday (July 11).
Stephen Woodward, 36, of Front Street, Thirsk, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison.
Christopher Woodward, 34, of Dalton Moor, Thirsk, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.
But he must also complete 240 hours’ unpaid work, having admitted money laundering at the court, also on February 21.
PIPCU’s investigators secured an all-assets restraint order against a total of £1.1 million held in 15 bank accounts and 21 cryptocurrency wallets owned by Stephen Woodward.
A further £144,121 worth of cash, which was seized from Stephen Woodward during the investigation, was also frozen.
“Lost revenue as a result of illegal streaming means fewer jobs and less investment in future opportunities.
“It’s estimated that this criminal activity contributes to over 80,000 job losses each year alone.
“Stephen was brazen in running his illegal steaming websites.
“Despite being the subject of a criminal investigation, he had clearly not learned his lesson and yet again attempted to gain financially from his illegal activity.
“His sentencing and upcoming confiscation proceedings should send a message that there are significant consequences for criminals who enable illegal access to copyrighted content.”
IPTV Hosting advertised itself as the first IPTV provider with more than 4,500 channels.
It provided illegal access to tv channels, including Sky Sports and BT Sports, to end users and resellers for a fee.
The investigation found that subscriptions were paid for via card payments, 13 PayPal accounts owned by Stephen and peer-to-peer payment services such as Circle.
Stephen Woodward would exchange the money into cryptocurrency, convert it back to flat currency and then deposit it across 23 bank accounts in order to disguise the origin of his funds.
Officers from PIPCU arrested Stephen Woodward in November 2019 and searched his home address.
They seized a computer, hard drive and nine phones, as well as £4,760 in cash found in a desk drawer in his living room.
He used the SIM cards to help open PayPal and bank accounts using false identities he had bought online.
While inquiries continued, he was released “under investigation”.
PIPCU’s analysis of his phone uncovered evidence to show that he had been in communication with various companies to assist with the running of IPTV Hosting.
In his messages to brother Christopher, Stephen Woodward said he was making £100,000 a month through illegal streaming.
Stephen Woodward used the funds to buy designer jewellery and clothes, holidays and a Jaguar F-Type V8 coupe worth £91,000.
In 2020, while the investigation into IPTV Hosting was underway, officers were alerted by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) that he had started running two further illegal streaming websites, Black and White TV and Helix Hosting.
Officers from PIPCU arrested him for the second time and searched his home address in July 2020.
He told officers that “the cash is in the same place as last time”, referring to the desk drawer in his living room, from which around £28,600 in cash was seized.
Stephen was then released under investigation once again.
PIPCU’s investigators secured an all-assets restraint order against a total of £1.1 million held in 15 bank accounts and 21 cryptocurrency wallets owned by him.
A further £144,121 worth of cash, seized from him during the investigation, was also frozen.
This includes £22,150 in cash that was seized in November 2020.
Stephen was arrested by the British Transport Police (BTP) at Kings Cross Railway Station, in London, on suspicion of money laundering, after a staff member at Thirsk station saw him place a carrier bag behind a grit bin and then board a train to London.
The staff member checked the contents of the bag and, upon finding it contained £20,000, alerted BTP.
BTP officers searched Stephen’s address later that day and seized an envelope containing £1,770 in cash hidden in the loft.
They seized a further £380 from him.
He was detained again, this time by Border Force officers at Gatwick Airport, south of London while attempting to board a flight to Vancouver, in Canada, in October 2022.
Three bundles of cash, worth a total of £10,870, were seized from his luggage.
The cash seized by BTP and Border Force officers was incorporated into PIPCU’s investigation.
The three websites run by Stephen are no longer in operation.
Read next ... more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here
Police to target illegal Premier League streaming and 'fire sticks'
Amazon Fire Stick owners urged to return their devices
Kieron Sharp, Chairman of FACT, said: "This investigation and the outcome underline that illegal streaming is not a victimless crime. It harms the creative economy and funds criminality.
“FACT commends the work of PIPCU in bringing this long-running case to justice."
PIPCU has now applied for a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) against Stephen Woodward.
The SCPO means he will be subject to a number of restrictions to prevent him from committing further offences.
Share