ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – EchoStar Communications (Dish Network) has confiscated thousands of pieces of satellite signal theft gear in Ontario, says a Multichannel News report.
Calling it "one of the largest civil raids in the company’s history," EchoStar Communications, with the help of technology vendor NagraStar and Bell ExpressVu (which uses the same equipment as EchoStar), confiscated the pirate devices and police made arrests in July. The raid follows a similar one in March of this year which also netted equipment, people and lists of individuals with illegal dishes.
EchoStar and their partners are "continuing to work with law-enforcement officials to combat those who illegally intercept and descramble satellite services," says the story. No official release was issued and an e-mail to Bell ExpressVu for comment was not immediately returned.
The raids took place July 25 and 26, although EchoStar did not disclose them until its announcement Tuesday, says the report.
"Thousands of satellite-piracy devices, such as receiver boxes and smart cards, were confiscated, along with records of customer activity, including purchase orders for piracy equipment and requests for technical assistance with pirated equipment. The searches also produced a number of significant leads for similar future actions," said the MCN story.
As part of the piracy crackdown, 17 web sites that were allegedly selling illegal equipment or offering technical advice on stealing signals have been disabled: www.spacetwister.com, www.angelpride.com, www.devilscrypt.com, www.dssword.com, www.ftafix.com, www.dsstoybox.com, www.extremen2.com, www.globalpayment.com, www.disharm.com, www.internationalhosting.info, www.outerlimitsatellitesupplies.com, www.satgroup.ca, www.overseashostingonline.com, www.dishtoybox.com, www.nagra2hack.com, www.dsswholesale.com and www.armsecuritysolutions.com.
The raids were simultaneously conducted at storefronts and residences in Niagara Falls, Amherstburg, Brampton, Innisfil, Mississauga and Markham, Ontario.
The individuals raided were: Rudy Torroni, Mena Torroni, Jeremy Corkery, Bill Taskas, Bill Ilkov, Nicholas Karadza, Michael Pomponio and Mathew Hallewick, as well as several of the individuals’ family members, the satellite company said in the MCN story.
Businesses raided were: Blue Screen Computer Services, DSSTOYBOX, DISHTOYBOX, Skylink Electronics, HLV Marketing and CanadianDSS.
