December 08, 2004 05:12 PM US Eastern Timezone
Satellite Television Pirate Sentenced to Seven Years by a Federal Judge; Defendant Ordered to Pay DIRECTV and NDS $24 million in Restitution
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2004--DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading and fastest growing digital television service provider, announced today that Martin C. Mullen (aka Martin P. Stewart) was sentenced on Monday, Dec. 6 by the Honorable Richard A. Lazzara of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to seven years in prison and ordered to pay DIRECTV and a subsidiary of its smart card provider, NDS Ltd., $24 million in restitution. Mullen pled guilty to conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States involving satellite piracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371 and to violating the deportation statute 8 U.S.C. 1326(a).
Mr. Mullen admitted that he was engaged in a comprehensive satellite television piracy scheme involving an army of more than 100 sub-dealers and the distribution of thousands of illegal smart cards in Canada and the United States. The evidence presented at the sentencing hearing showed Mullen had been manufacturing and distributing satellite television hacking technology since the 1980s, first attacking C-Band technology and then hacking DIRECTV access cards in the 1990s and continuing to do so at least into 2001.
"Piracy is a multi-billion dollar problem for the entertainment industry caused by sophisticated, well-funded and hard-to-detect piracy syndicates. It is gratifying to have Mullen -- who epitomizes this type of criminal -- brought to justice," said Jim Whalen, senior director of DIRECTV's Signal Integrity Department. "The severe sentence handed down by the court is clearly warranted in this case and we applaud the judge's decision. This sentence serves as a stark reminder that the sale and distribution of signal theft devices has grave consequences."
Although DIRECTV's current smart cards provided by NDS have not been hacked, DIRECTV and NDS remain diligent in their efforts to remove the threat of piracy and support the efforts of law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad to pursue satellite television pirates such as Mullen.
Tampa-based Assistant United States Attorneys Ernest Peluso and Donald Hansen prosecuted Mr. Mullen. They have also obtained a 95-count indictment against Paul Maxwell King, who like Mullen is alleged to be a long-time, large scale satellite television pirate. That matter will be prosecuted in the Middle District of Florida as well.
Satellite Television Pirate Sentenced to Seven Years by a Federal Judge; Defendant Ordered to Pay DIRECTV and NDS $24 million in Restitution
EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 2004--DIRECTV, Inc., the nation's leading and fastest growing digital television service provider, announced today that Martin C. Mullen (aka Martin P. Stewart) was sentenced on Monday, Dec. 6 by the Honorable Richard A. Lazzara of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to seven years in prison and ordered to pay DIRECTV and a subsidiary of its smart card provider, NDS Ltd., $24 million in restitution. Mullen pled guilty to conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States involving satellite piracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. 371 and to violating the deportation statute 8 U.S.C. 1326(a).
Mr. Mullen admitted that he was engaged in a comprehensive satellite television piracy scheme involving an army of more than 100 sub-dealers and the distribution of thousands of illegal smart cards in Canada and the United States. The evidence presented at the sentencing hearing showed Mullen had been manufacturing and distributing satellite television hacking technology since the 1980s, first attacking C-Band technology and then hacking DIRECTV access cards in the 1990s and continuing to do so at least into 2001.
"Piracy is a multi-billion dollar problem for the entertainment industry caused by sophisticated, well-funded and hard-to-detect piracy syndicates. It is gratifying to have Mullen -- who epitomizes this type of criminal -- brought to justice," said Jim Whalen, senior director of DIRECTV's Signal Integrity Department. "The severe sentence handed down by the court is clearly warranted in this case and we applaud the judge's decision. This sentence serves as a stark reminder that the sale and distribution of signal theft devices has grave consequences."
Although DIRECTV's current smart cards provided by NDS have not been hacked, DIRECTV and NDS remain diligent in their efforts to remove the threat of piracy and support the efforts of law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad to pursue satellite television pirates such as Mullen.
Tampa-based Assistant United States Attorneys Ernest Peluso and Donald Hansen prosecuted Mr. Mullen. They have also obtained a 95-count indictment against Paul Maxwell King, who like Mullen is alleged to be a long-time, large scale satellite television pirate. That matter will be prosecuted in the Middle District of Florida as well.
