A fraudster who sold illegally-modified TV Firestick devices has been jailed for two years. Sunny Kanda, 40, infringed copyright laws when he sold the devices – known colloquially as ‘dodgy sticks’.
Kanda, of Creek View, Wheatley, Halifax, cheated legitimate providers out of more than £108,000 during an 18-month period between 2020 and 2022, a court heard. His customers were able to gain access to content normally only available on paid platforms such as Sky, BT Sport, Disney+ and Netlifx.
He sold the illegal devices on a closed Facebook group which had more than 3,900 members. Kanda was arrested following an investigation by National Trading Standards, local government and intellectual property organisation ‘FACT’.
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An undercover investigator, posing as a customer, infiltrated Kanda’s group and bought one of the devices. The investigator later found the device had been modified to provide unauthorised access to premium film, television, and live sports content using applications called The Vodfather XC and Plex.
Kanda was sentenced at York Crown Court yesterday, January 3, after pleading guilty in August to three charges relating to fraud, copyright and concealing bank transfers linked to criminal activity. A hearing will be held on May 7 to decide if financial orders will be imposed on him.
A spokesperson for National Trading Standards said: “Accessing pirated content through illegal TV Firesticks undermines the UK’s entertainment industry, putting its talented workforce and supply chains at risk by depriving them of fair earnings and revenue. It also puts consumers at risk by exposing them to illegal software that can put their data and bank details in jeopardy.
“Today’s sentence is an important reminder to all those who buy and sell TV Firesticks that crime does not pay – it breaches copyright law and we encourage people to report suspected cases to the Citizens Advice consumer service.”