Five members of an illegal streaming gang who were imprisoned for broadcasting Premier League matches without authorization have been ordered by a UK court to repay a combined £3.75 million from their criminal profits.
The group, led by Mark Gould, operated the illicit service Flawless TV, which served over 50,000 customers and resellers and employed 30 staff. Between 2016 and 2021, the operation generated more than £7 million in revenue. In May 2023, the gang received collective prison sentences exceeding 30 years in what was described as the world's largest piracy sentencing.
At Derby Crown Court this week, Gould was ordered to forfeit £2.35 million within three months or face an additional 10-year prison term. Four other defendants were directed to repay a total of over £1.4 million or risk extended incarceration. The total confiscation, £3.75 million, is the second-largest such order ever imposed in the UK for illegal streaming.
The recovered funds will be split equally between the Treasury and agencies involved in the prosecution, including the courts and financial investigators.
The case stemmed from a rare private prosecution by the Premier League, supported by Hammersmith & Fulham Council's Trading Standards team and intellectual property protection organization FACT.
"These confiscation proceedings demonstrate our determination to ensure those involved in providing illegal streaming services do not retain the profits from their criminal activity," said Stefan Sergot, Premier League director of legal - enforcement. "The sentences handed down, and the funds confiscated in these proceedings, vindicate the efforts made to bring these individuals to justice and reflect the severity and extent of the crimes."
Doug Love, Principal Trading Standards Investigator at Hammersmith & Fulham Council, added: "Anyone tempted to commit similar offences should be deterred by the record prison sentences and the size of the confiscation orders in this case."