Illegal streamer ordered to repay £3.75m - or face extra ten years in prison

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An illegal streaming gang leader has been ordered to repay £3.75m - or face an extra ten years in prison.

Mark Gould, the mastermind of illegal streaming service Flawless, was ordered to forfeit the proceeds of his criminal activities worth £2.35m within three months after a hearing at Derby Crown Court.

It is a clear warning to other criminals and armchair viewers tempted to use illegal fire sticks to watch illegal streams of Premier League games.

Gould was one of five criminals responsible for providing illegal streams of Premier League games on an industrial scale with more than 50,000 customers and 30 staff.

The confiscation order follows similar proceedings against four other criminals totalling a further £1.4m and they have all been ordered to repay the total of £3.75m or face extra prison time.

Gould was originally convicted in May 2023 and sentenced to 11 years in prison - the others were sentenced to a total of 30 - and was the world ’s largest ever piracy case.

The money will be distributed back into the public purse and also highlights the Premier League’s continuing purge against illegal streamers with police regularly making a clear connection to other criminal gangs and activity.

Premier League officials were supported by Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s Trading Standards team and also protection organisation FACT.

They are determined to crack down on illegal streaming which is a huge threat to TV rights, the state of the game and they believe is closely linked to other crime.

Premier League Director of Legal Enforcement Stefan Sergot said: “These confiscation proceedings demonstrate our determination to ensure those involved in providing illegal streaming services do not retain the profits from their criminal activity.

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“This was a hugely challenging case, and we are extremely grateful for the hard work and expertise of the authorities who supported us in drawing it to a conclusion.

“The sentences handed down, and the funds confiscated in these proceedings, vindicate the efforts made to bring these individuals to justice and reflect the severity and extent of the crimes.”

Doug Love, Principal Trading Standards Investigator at Hammersmith & Fulham Council added: “I am very pleased that confiscation of this magnitude has been ordered.

“It is a fine conclusion to an investigation that started in 2017. It is essential that offenders whose greed leads them to commit offences are deprived of profiting from their crimes.

“Anyone tempted to commit similar offences should be deterred by the record prison sentences and the size of the confiscation orders in this case.”