The former operator of HeHeStreams IPTV has admitted cybercrime and settled with the US government for $500,000.
HeHeStreams was an IPTV operation that offered thousands of live streams with a focus on sports content.
Just last year they were shut down by ACE and the MPA, and the operator is now facing legal damages from authorities.
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As reported by TorrentFreak, the operator of HeHeStreams first accepted an offer to settle his case from ACE/MPA by shutting down his site and handing over domains.
However, no cash settlement was ever mentioned but one can assume ACE received financial compensation from the shutdown.
You will now encounter the following screen when attempting to access the original HeHeStreams website:
Also, one year ago there was a Reddit post from HeHeStreams talking about the website’s demise.
The alleged operator of HeHeStreams is Joshua Streit and he would later find out that a criminal investigation from the US government was underway. This is where the story gets interesting.
According to the US government, Streit emailed an MLB employee in March 2021 saying he had previously disclosed a network vulnerability in their systems and wanted compensation for his “security work.”
The court documentation revealed the following conversation between Streit and an MLB executive:
You will find that Streit requested $150,000 for his disclosure to MLB. This email chain eventually led to the FBI and other US government authorities getting involved.
Fast forward to October 2021, and the US Department of Justice announced that Streit had been charged with several crimes including wire fraud, sending interstate threats with the intent to extort, and more.
Then in June 2022, Streit pleaded guilty to “Computer Fraud – Unauthorized Access to Obtain Information from a Protected Computer.”
In other words, Streit obtained unauthorized access to users of an MLB affiliate website and then used that to broadcast illegal streaming of games on HeHeStreams for a profit.
It was later announced that Streit reached a plea agreement with the US government in which he will forfeit $500,000 in damages. He could potentially face a prison sentence of up to five years.
The court documents state the following:
“As a result of the offense charged Count One of the Information, to which the Defendant pled guilty, a money judgment in the amount of $500,000, representing the amount traceable to the offense charged in Count One of the Indictment that the Defendant personally obtained, shall be entered against the Defendant.”
For more information and official court documentation, you can view the case below.
HeHeStreams & Joshua Streit Court Documents (PDF)
This isn’t the first time we have seen the US government and copyright authorities come after streaming websites.
US Gov Releases List of Top Pirate Sites
Rojadirecta Streaming Site Ordered to Pay Over $500,000 in Damages
Nitro IPTV Operators to Pay Over $100 Million in Piracy Lawsuit
For more information on the legality behind IPTV, refer to our resource below.
Is IPTV Legal? What You Need to Know
For 100% legal and verified streaming options, you can view the popular guides below.
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