Las Vegas, NV — A Cuban national and U.S. permanent resident, Yoany Vaillant, has been convicted by a federal jury for his involvement in operating Jetflicks, an illicit streaming service that hosted a substantial archive of pirated TV shows. At 43, Vaillant now faces serious legal repercussions for his role in what has become one of the largest cases concerning digital content piracy.
Vaillant was found guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement on charges linked to a larger scheme involving eight individuals. This operation, based out of Las Vegas, provided subscribers unauthorized access to a staggering 183,285 television episodes, making it one of the most extensive illegal streaming catalogs, surpassing even those of legitimate platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
Jetflicks offered its extensive range of pirated content through sophisticated automation, pulling unauthorized media from global pirate sites including The Pirate Bay and RARBG. This content was typically made available to Jetflicks subscribers just a day after its original broadcast. The subscription service heavily relied on Vaillant’s technical skills as a computer programmer to manage and resolve issues associated with the automated processes that fueled the service’s operations.
The scale of Jetflicks’ operations resulted in monumental financial losses to the U.S. television and commercial streaming industries, affecting copyright owners nationwide. According to court documents, the collective action of Vaillant and his co-defendants resulted in millions of dollars in damages.
In 2019, the Eastern District of Virginia indicted eight individuals linked to Jetflicks, including Vaillant. Among the co-defendants, Darryl Polo and Luis Villarino have already faced the judicial system, receiving sentences of nearly five years and just over a year, respectively.
The case, which was later moved to Nevada, saw Vaillant’s trial separated from his co-conspirators. In a groundbreaking verdict last June, fellow defendants Kristopher Dallmann, Jared Jaurequi, Douglas Courson, Felipe Garcia, and Peter Huber were also found guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, with Dallmann facing additional charges of copyright infringement and money laundering.
This landmark trial marks the largest case of internet piracy by the volume of works infringed upon and is notably the first case of illegal streaming to be adjudicated. Sentencing for the defendants, including Vaillant, is set for early February 2025, with judicial considerations based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines among other factors.
The legal proceedings are spearheaded by a dedicated team including Senior Counsel Matthew A. Lamberti, Trial Attorney Michael Christin, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Oliva for the District of Nevada, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, supported by their Las Vegas counterpart, and comes following announcements by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg.
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