A computer programmer, Yoany Vaillant, was found guilty by a Nevada jury for his involvement in operating Jetflicks, one of the largest illegal television streaming services in the United States. Jetflicks, based in Las Vegas, offered users the ability to stream and download copyrighted television episodes without permission from the owners. Vaillant was convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, making him the final defendant in the case to be convicted.
Jetflicks boasted a staggering 183,285 different television episodes, surpassing popular licensed streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. The service often provided episodes to subscribers shortly after they aired on television, resulting in significant financial losses for copyright owners in the U.S. television and streaming industries.
Vaillant was one of eight defendants indicted in 2019 in Virginia for their involvement in Jetflicks. His co-defendant, Darryl Polo, pleaded guilty to several criminal copyright and money laundering charges and was sentenced to nearly five years in prison. Another defendant, Luis Villarino, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and received a one-year prison sentence.
The case was later transferred to the District of Nevada for trial, resulting in the convictions of the remaining five defendants – Dallmann, Jaurequi, Courson, Garcia, and Huber – for conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Dallmann was also found guilty of additional criminal copyright infringement and money laundering charges.
The sentencing for Dallmann, Courson, Garcia, Jaurequi, Huber, and Vaillant is scheduled for February. This case is noted as the largest internet piracy case in terms of the volume of infringed works and the first illegal streaming case to go to trial. The Justice Department emphasized the impact of piracy on the television and streaming industries, highlighting the importance of protecting copyrighted content in the digital age.
