Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
On Nov. 15, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York returned an indictment charging Noor Nabi Chowdhury, 56, of Cheektowaga, New York, and his brother, Mohammad Rahman, 36, of Dhaka, Bangladesh, with conspiracy to provide to the public an illicit digital transmission service; providing an illicit digital transmission service; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and aggravated identity theft. The charges stem from their operation of 247TVStream, an online subscription-based service that permitted users to stream copyrighted content, such as live sports programming and television shows, without the permission of the relevant copyright owners.
According to court documents, Chowdhury and Rahman allegedly ran the illegal scheme for years and collected more than $7 million in subscriber fees from 247TVStream subscribers. The estimated harm to legitimate copyright owners caused by 247TVStream is more than $100 million. Chowdhury and Rahman also allegedly used a victim’s identification to facilitate the infrastructure for the scheme.
The indictment was unsealed earlier today, following Chowdhury’s arrest, and he appeared for his arraignment in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York this afternoon. An arrest warrant was issued for Rahman, who remains at large.
“According to the indictment, Chowdhury and Rahman ran an illicit digital streaming site that infringed upon more than a hundred million dollars of intellectual property owned by legitimate copyright owners,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Thanks to the work of our prosecutors, along with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, the illicit digital streaming site no longer exists, and Chowdhury is in custody. These actions demonstrate the Criminal Division’s commitment to protecting intellectual property rights by vigorously enforcing the laws against illicit digital transmission services.”
“As alleged, the defendants operated a bootleg online streaming service that distributed copyrighted television programs that they stole for their personal enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “My office and the Justice Department are committed to protecting the rights of intellectual property holders from digital pirates like these defendants.”
“Noor Nabi Chowdhury and Mohammad Rahman are accused of committing copyright infringement to the tune of over $100 million,” said Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office. “As alleged and in furtherance of their criminal scheme, the defendants stole an unsuspecting victim’s identity to exploit major American businesses, in pursuit of illicit wealth. HSI New York proudly stands alongside our law enforcement and private sector partners, both domestic and abroad, to thwart criminal organizations who seek to financially capitalize on their wrongdoing.”
Also today, HSI executed a seizure order from the Eastern District of New York against website domain names used by Chowdhury and Rahman to operate 247TVStream. The seizure of these domains by the government will prevent the owners and third parties from using the sites to operate 247TVStream. Individuals, including subscribers, visiting those sites now will see a message indicating that the site has been seized by the federal government. In addition, in coordination with international law enforcement partners to enforce criminal copyright laws, United Kingdom authorities have seized the servers hosting a portion of the 247TVStream infrastructure.
If convicted, Chowdhury and Rahman each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy to provide the illicit digital transmission service charge; three years in prison on the providing the illicit digital transmission service charge; 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge; and a mandatory penalty of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, to run consecutive to the other sentences.
The HSI New York Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the HSI Buffalo Field Office and their Attaché Offices in Ottawa, The Hague, and London.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also assisted. The Justice Department appreciates the additional assistance provided by the Surrey and City of London Police of the United Kingdom and Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Trial Attorneys Vasantha Rao and Jeff Pearlman of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Schuman for the Eastern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.