Santo Domingo.-IPTV services have become so popular in the Dominican Republic that thousands of families have removed their platform services such as Netflix, HBO, Disney, Paramount, even the premises of Claro TV and Aster TV, because through a device as simple as the Amazon Fire TV and an application you can have access to the contents of all those platform individual.
What for many families was a cheap and less complicated way of having all those contents in a single app, had behind a sophisticated piracy network that moved millions of pesos thanks to the piracy of content.
Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros became complainants in the Dominican Republic against a network of digital piracy recently dismantled by the Public Ministry in the so -called Operation Domo.
The case called by the Public Ministry as Domo reveals how a sophisticated internet television scheme (IPTV) managed to capture thousands of users in the country and abroad, generating millionaire income at the expense of large streaming and television companies pay.
It is estimated that in total, the dismantled network billed around 23 million dollars for the pirate service, of which more than 9 million dollars could be traced.
According to the file, the main defendants are Leonardo Alberto Casci Ocumárez, indicated as leader and pirate platform administrator; Raúl Ernesto Guzmán Lora, accused of driving screen companies and channeling millionaire resources; Keomirs Torres López, syndicated as responsible for introducing illegally obtained funds to the financial system; Víctor Luis Torres López, indicated as a receiver of payments in cryptocurrencies; Leony Esmeralda Croes and Raúl Ernesto Guzmán Croes, linked to the corporate framework and the acquisition of goods with illicit money.
Thus the network operated
The network operated through pages such as IPTV66.com and serverprivado.is, which offered access to more than 1,400 television channels, 14,000 films and 1,000 TV series, in addition to sporting events and premium content of platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO.
The process was simple and attractive to users: after paying subscription (from US $ 1.29 to the month or US $ 25 per year), they received a confirmation email with a link to download reproduction lists in .M3U format.
These could be opened in applications such as IPTV Smarters, Kodi or devices such as Fire TV Sick and TV Box, giving immediate access to the most demanded content on the market.
An M3U file is like a “digital menu” that tells your application where to look for the content to reproduce it in the specific URL direction (web pages), which allows the user to see the content.
The network implemented a system that also encouraged the resale, because it granted discounts to resellers who acquired multiple accounts and then distributed to third parties, multiplying the scope of fraud.
For example, you could buy 100 accounts to resell in your sector and thus obtain benefits through intermediation.
The system has gained great popularity globally because the offer is cheaper and broader than any legal service. With a small fraction of the Netflix cost or a premium cable plan, users obtained access to thousands of channels, film premieres, exclusive series and sporting events for vision by vision (PPV).
This type of platforms has become a popular alternative in the daily life of many homes that sought to “save” in entertainment, although it is digital piracy.
Financial investigations reveal that the framework moved hundreds of millions of pesos and dollars in local banks and in cryptocurrencies.
Millions of dollars
Only through the Bitcoin block chain operations were tracked for more than US $ 9.7 million associated with the accused.
With these funds real estate, luxury vehicles were acquired – including Porsche and Infiniti – and investments in commercial companies used to bleach capitals.
The Public Ministry argues that the disproportion between the declared income of the defendants and their lifestyle confirms the magnitude of the crime.
The network in question took advantage of having films, series and sports via streaming with a very cheap subscription, which allowed the proliferation of the schemes such as the dismantled.
Tests presented
– Public Ministry
Among the evidence presented by the Public Ministry is a sentence issued in the United States on December 29, 2017, translated and apostillada, which evidences the background and the modus operandi of this network of scammers.
Coercion measure to the accused
Justice. The judge of the National District Attention Office, Fatima Veloz, issued coercion measures to the members of the Domo Case Network, accused of cheating for more than RD $ 282 million to international companies such as Netflix and Amazon through fraud and digital piracy, and declared the complex process.
The magistrate imposed an impediment of periodic output and presentation to the group linked to the network, headed by Leonardo Alberto Casci Ocumárez and Raúl Ernesto Guzmán Lora, who must pay RD $ 7 million; Keomires Torres López, a guarantee of RD $ 5 million; Víctor Luis Torres López and Leony Esmeralda Croes, a guarantee of RD $ 3 million, and Raúl Ernesto Guzmán (son), a guarantee of RD $ 1.5 million.
