In a landmark case, a federal jury in Las Vegas convicted a Cuban citizen and U.S. permanent resident on Nov. 15 for operating an illegal streaming service with one of the largest collections of pirated works, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
The DOJ identified the defendant as Yoany Vaillant, 43, one of eight individuals indicted in 2019 for running Jetflicks, a subscription-based streaming service.
Vaillant’s co-defendant, Darryl Polo, a computer programmer, previously pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal copyright infringement and one count of money laundering tied to Jetflicks and another illegal streaming operation.
Another co-defendant, Luis Villarino, also a computer programmer, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Polo was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, while Villarino received one year and one day.
According to the DOJ, Vaillant and his co-conspirators employed automated software and computer scripts to continuously search the internet for pirated television programs.