Fraudster is jailed for two and a half years for providing illegal ‘firesticks’ to customers which showed Premier League matches

• A man has been jailed for two and a half years for selling illegal ‘firesticks’
• Thousands of people used the firesticks, which showed Premier League games
• Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ 

A man was jailed on Thursday for two and a half years for providing illegal ‘firesticks’ to customers which showed Premier League matches.

Steven Mills, 58, ran the organisation which sold ‘fire sticks’ via a closed Facebook group and claimed to have more than 30,000 subscribers.

Trading under the names Pikabox and Eyepeeteevee, his organisation received more than £1million in five years.

Mills pleaded guilty in June to multiple fraud offences at Shrewsbury Crown Court and was sentenced following a joint investigation by the Premier League, West Mercia Police, and anti-piracy organisation FACT.

In another step, police and FACT officials visited a number of households where individuals were known to be using the ‘firesticks’ and warned them to cease illegal streaming with immediate effect. The enquiry and subsequent raids identified over 1,000 of Mills’ customers.

A man was jailed on Thursday for two and a half years for providing illegal ‘firesticks’ to customers which showed Premier League matches

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The prosecution follows the news earlier this year which resulted in five individuals being jailed for a total of 30 years and seven months in the world’s largest-ever prosecution of an illegal streaming network.

Kevin Plumb, Premier League General Counsel, said: ‘The sentence handed down by the Crown Court today once again clearly demonstrates the severity of piracy-related offences and the consequences that come with them.’

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