Theft and sale of satellite television signals

[u133209]

Jeffrey M. DeSarno, 38, and Christopher Belay, 27, are facing criminal charges for the alleged theft and sale of satellite television signals.
Photograph by: leaderpost.com, photo illustration

REGINA — Two former SaskTel managers who were suspended from their jobs a year ago are now facing criminal charges for the alleged theft and sale of satellite television signals.

Jeffrey M. DeSarno, 38, and Christopher Belay, 27, were charged by RCMP in September, but the charges came up for the first time at Regina Provincial Court on Wednesday morning.

DeSarno is facing a total of seven charges, and is accused of obstruction, using a computer system to commit an offence, fraudulently obtaining a telecommunication service, and receiving and decoding encrypted programming signals. He is also accused of having, making or selling a device used to contravene the Radio Communications Act and having, making or selling a device used to fraudulently obtain telecommunication service.

Belay is facing just one allegation of manufacturing, possessing, selling or distributing an instrument or device intended to obtain telecommunication service without payment of a lawful charge.

The offences are alleged to have occurred in the period between early 2006 and September 2008.

Belay appeared in court in person to face the charge, but DeSarno did not.

Paul Malone, an agent for the federal Crown, elected to proceed by indictment on all the charges, meaning the two accused have to be personally present in court or file a document authorizing counsel to appear on their behalf in the future. Malone agreed to hold a warrant for DeSarno until the matters come back to court on Nov. 18.

SaskTel spokeswoman Michelle Englot did not return a call for comment on the case Wednesday. Speaking to the Leader-Post last year, another spokesperson for the Crown Corporation confirmed that two managers had been suspended without pay pending the outcome of a police investigation into the theft and illegal sale of satellite signals.

The suspension came after RCMP Regina Border Integrity Section and Regina Police Service investigators searched a SaskTel office and two homes early in September 2008, seizing personal computers and other electronic equipment.

According to Belay’s profile on the business networking website LinkedIn, he was a manager of Strategic Planning at SaskTel From May 2008 to September 2008, and had previously been employed at SaskTel as a Technical Analyst and technical assistant.

DeSarno has since moved to Brandon. In a blog post from the summer of 2008, DeSarno announced that he and his wife were selling their Regina Beach home after deciding to make “to make a huge change in our lifestyle.”

[abobstar]

It seems all charges is due because they were selling satilite signals.
Has anyone been charged for watching satilte program signals if so what was there out come.

[u133209]

I believe you can not be charged for watching satellite signals,but for modifying your box to receive signals from a provider without paying.I could be wrong though....JMO

[Teamwork000]

The illegality is to dechiper a decrypted broadcast signal for viewing as per DMA (obviously the Readers Digest version)... ;-)

[joeyd420]

so basicly its not ileagle to operate and own a fta stb for encrypted signals but if you mod a XXor dk stb you will be in trouble but only cuz you are screwing with something thats not yours ?

ps dont make fun of the avatar i didnt see you betting

[u133209]

I WILL make fun of your avatar because I did make a bet that no one wanted to take.......except between you and damien.....Your a good sport! Pink does suit you.

[u133209]

I guess Mr.Viewsat has been found quilty.Here is another one to add to this thread:


Department of Justice Press Release
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For Immediate Release
October 23, 2009 United States Attorney's Office
Southern District of California
Contact: (619) 557-5610

Three Plead Guilty to Violating Digital Millennium Copyright Act

United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that Jung Kwak, 33, also known as “Mr. Viewsat,” of Oceanside, California, Phillip Allison, 35, also known as “thebroken,” and Robert Ward, 54, also known as “TDG” and as “thedssguy,” both of Seminole, Florida, have tendered pleas of guilty to conspiring to violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The three defendants were charged in a one-count indictment handed up by a federal grand jury sitting in San Diego on July 9, 2009.

In connection with their guilty pleas, the defendants admitted that beginning in or about March 2008, they determined to hire computer hackers to break the latest DISH Network encryption scheme, known as Nagra 3, so that the line of satellite receiver boxes sold by defendant Kwak would continue to have a market. According to the indictment, and in connection with their guilty pleas, the defendants admitted that Mr. Kwak owns and operates Viewtech, Inc., in Oceanside, California. Viewtech imports “free-to-air” or “FTA” satellite receiver boxes and sells them to the public through a network of retailers under the brand name “Viewsat.” According to the indictment, there is a limited amount of free programming available by satellite to owners of FTA receiver boxes, much of it consisting of ethnic and religious programming in numerous languages. Yet, millions of Viewsat FTA boxes have been sold to the public. The popularity of FTA boxes is due to the fact that they are designed to make it a simple process for a purchaser to obtain subscription-based satellite television, such as that offered by Echostar’s DISH Network, for free. DISH Network licenses copyrighted works from the copyright holders, encrypts the signal, and sells the right to view to DISH subscribers. Subscribers to DISH Network programming obtain from DISH a “smart card,” which is inserted into a DISH satellite receiver box. The smart card decrypts the programming that the subscriber is authorized to view. Over the years, DISH has changed its encryption algorithms and employed other countermeasures to attempt to defeat theft of its signal. To illegally decrypt the DISH signal, the FTA boxes must appear to have DISH smart cards. That is done by reverse-engineering DISH smart cards and creating computer code which, when downloaded to an appropriate FTA box, will emulate the existence of a smart card and trick the system. In the past, as DISH encryption and countermeasures were defeated, the code has been posted on the Internet and made available for download to anyone.

In the late fall of 2007, DISH announced that it had created a new encryption scheme and would start shipping new smart cards to its customers. As the new encryption scheme was deployed, owners of FTA boxes would no longer be able to view DISH programming without a subscription, and sellers of FTA boxes would lose their market.

The defendants admitted in their plea that Mr. Kwak authorized Messrs. Allison and Ward to locate persons to work on cracking Nagra 3. Mr. Kwak agreed to provide funding and a substantial reward for success. Messrs. Allison and Ward admitted that they solicited a third party to join the scheme. Mr. Allison admitted purchasing a specialized microscope to be used in dissecting and analyzing smart cards for the third party and was reimbursed by Mr. Kwak. Mr. Kwak admitted meeting with and paying $20,000 in cash to the third party for photographs of a dissected smart card purported to be a Nagra 3 card. Mr. Kwak also admitted that he offered a reward of $250,000 if the EPROM (eraseable programmable read-only memory) for the Nagra 3 card could be obtained.

The defendants tendered their guilty pleas before United States Magistrate Judge Anthony J. Battaglia, subject to final acceptance of the pleas by United States District Judge Janis L. Sammartino on January 22, 2010, at 9:00 a.m.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Cybersquad of Federal Bureau of Investigation in San Diego.
DEFENDANTS Case Number: 09cr2646 -JLS
Jung Kwak Oceanside, California Age: 33
Phillip Allison Seminole, Florida Age: 35
Robert Ward Seminole, Florida Age: 54

SUMMARY OF CHARGE

One Count — Title 18, United States Code, Section 371: Conspiracy to Violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Maximum Penalty: five years’ imprisonment and $250,000 fine

AGENCY

Federal Bureau of Investigation

[Dispatcher2117]

He was not FOUND guilty, he changed his plea, which is different. It indicates to me that a deal has been made. We will see in January.

[u133209]

Thanks Dis for the update,I know post#7 is posted else where here on rookie but I felt it pertained a little to the topic of this thread so I put it here too.I sure hope a deal has been made,but then he will be under a microscope.Like he's not familiar with microscpoe's....he he he!

[wrangler]

What remains to be seen is how many other people they take down to sweeten their "deal". Stay away from Seminole Fl. as Phil is trying to hook as many fish as he can.