Noor Nabi Chowdhury, 56, of Cheektowaga, New York, and his little brother, Mohammad Rahman, 36, of Dhaka, Bangladesh, operated the low-costs streaming service from May 2017 to November 2024, authorities charged. Under the alleged scheme, the brothers posed as regular customers to at least four separate streaming services to obtain legitimate subscriptions to at least four content providers, authorities alleged. They then allegedly rebroadcast dramas, kids’ TV and cooking shows along with live sporting events featuring MLB, NBA, NHL games and rodeo events, the streamers’ website shows. Authorities alleged Chowdhury and Rahama collected more than $7 million operating the illegal streaming service and caused more than $100 million in damages to the legitimate streaming service and content owners. “As alleged, the defendants operated a bootleg online streaming service that distributed copyrighted television programs that they stole for their personal enrichment,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “My office and the Justice Department are committed to protecting the rights of intellectual property holders from digital pirates like these defendants.”To get the games and TV shows in front of viewers, Chowdhury and Rahman created multiple websites for subscribers to get content and developed an Apple application called “247 IPTV Player,” the indictment states. They also rented server space to host the streaming content and created shell companies to hide its operations and the use of merchants to take credit cards and electronic payments, court documents show. The scheme ran for years and the duo collected millions in subscriber fees. Chowdhury and Rahman are charged with criminal conspiracy, illicit digital transmissions services, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Chowdhury was arrested on Tuesday and he appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York in the afternoon for arraignment. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Rahman, who remains at large. The government is seeking illegal proceeds and property related to the copyright infringement. “According to the indictment, Chowdhury and Rahman ran an illicit digital streaming site that infringed upon more than a hundred million dollars of intellectual property owned by legitimate copyright owners,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Thanks to the work of our prosecutors, along with our domestic and international law enforcement partners, the illicit digital streaming site no longer exists, and Chowdhury is in custody. These actions demonstrate the Criminal Division’s commitment to protecting intellectual property rights by vigorously enforcing the laws against illicit digital transmission services.”Online reviews about the streaming site are overwhelmingly negative with a 1.3 rating out of five stars. Subscribers complained about buffering and a lack of customer service.“The stream will freeze mid game and good luck getting it back. Infuriating,” wrote Marie B. in October 2024. “Absolutely a rip off, do not buy. And their new steaming box is worse than steaming from the computer. Just an absolute junk site.”How many degrees of separation are you from the globe's most powerful business leaders? Explore who made our brand-new list of the 100 Most Powerful People in Business. Plus, learn about the metrics we used to make it.
