Law enforcement extradite man from Northern Cyprus after trying to avoid jail time for advertising and selling specially configured receivers.
- The receivers allowed unlawful access to subscription services from Sky and Virgin Media
- Michael Hornung in jail and ordered to pay over £250K under Proceeds of Crime Act.
A man has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for advertising and selling specially configured set top boxes. These devices allowed unlawful access to subscription services, as well as thousands of on-demand films and pay-per-view content. Additionally, Michael Hornung of Hyde, Greater Manchester, received a 12-week jail sentence for violating the Bail Act, bringing his total sentence to four years and nine months.
Hornung appeared before Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court following his successful extradition from Cyprus. He had previously been sentenced in June 2022, but the sentence was handed down in his absence as he had fled the UK to avoid imprisonment and had been living in Northern Cyprus to evade extradition to the UK.
On 2nd June 2024, Hornung was arrested in Cyprus by Cypriot authorities following a collaborative effort between FACT (Federation against Copyright Theft) and the NCA (National Crime Agency). The NCA facilitated arrangements for his extradition and, after an in-country extradition hearing, Hornung consented to return to the UK.
Decade-long investigation
FACT began investigating Hornung back in April 2014 after intelligence revealed he supplied set-top-boxes that enabled unauthorised access to subscription television content from BT Sport and Sky Sports. With assistance from Greater Manchester Police, FACT identified Hornung as the operator behind ‘NoHatsNoTrainers,’ trading on the online platform CS World.
Hornung’s operation ran from 2014 to 2017, resulting in a potential loss of £2 million to broadcasters and rights holders and generating approximately £350,000 in fraudulent income.
In addition to his sentence, in September 2022, Hornung was ordered to pay £258,642 under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (PoCA). He was given three months to satisfy this order or face an additional three years of imprisonment. The court has adjourned the resolution of the additional sentence, which will be addressed at a future hearing at Liverpool Magistrate’s Court.
FACT CEO, Kieron Sharp, commented:
“The collaborative efforts of FACT, the National Crime Agency, and Greater Manchester Police were instrumental in bringing Michael Hornung to justice. We would particularly like to thank the NCA for facilitating Hornung’s extradition to the UK. Hornung’s criminal business provided customers the means to access premium TV without compensating broadcasters or those with intellectual property rights. This conviction underscores our commitment to tackling fraud and piracy at all levels and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable. The extradition of Michael Hornung serves as a reminder that no one is beyond the reach of the law. FACT will be relentless in our pursuit of individuals who profit from illegal activities, regardless of where they seek refuge.”
What are the consequences of using unofficial IPTV providers?
During major sports events, you may see adverts for providers that offer access to Sky, TNT or foreign sports channel operates giving discounted access to live sport.
These providers use modified IPTV receivers allowing them to feed pirated signals to subscribers.
Law enforcement have said many of these providers also have links to organised crime and consumers who hand over their card details are at risk of their data being misused or being scammed. Where an illegal provider is closed down, customers will find their service that they paid for is abruptly cut off, with no right to a refund.
Additionally, viewers may receive warnings from police and be themselves subject to law enforcement action. Under UK law, consumers who use pirated TV content could face a maximum prison sentence of five years.
By: Marc Thornham