U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson | U.S. Department of Justice
A federal jury in Las Vegas has convicted Yoany Vaillant, a Cuban citizen and U.S. permanent resident, for his involvement in operating Jetflicks, an illegal streaming service. This service was known for having one of the largest collections of infringing works, with over 183,000 television episodes available to its subscribers.
Jetflicks allowed users to stream and sometimes download copyrighted television episodes without permission from the copyright owners. Vaillant, who worked as a computer programmer at Jetflicks, contributed significantly to the operation by fixing issues related to downloading and streaming these episodes.
During the trial, evidence showed that Vaillant and his co-conspirators used automated software to find infringing television programs on pirate sites worldwide. They then reproduced and streamed hundreds of thousands of episodes to tens of thousands of paid subscribers across the United States.
The piracy operation affected every major copyright owner in the U.S., leading to millions of dollars in losses for the television show and streaming industries. Vaillant is one of eight defendants indicted in 2019 for their roles in running Jetflicks.
Co-defendants Darryl Polo and Luis Villarino have already pleaded guilty to related charges. Polo received a sentence of four years and nine months in prison, while Villarino was sentenced to one year and one day.
In February 2022, the case was transferred to Nevada for trial. The court severed Vaillant's case from those of five other defendants: Kristopher Dallmann, Jared Jaurequi, Douglas Courson, Felipe Garcia, and Peter Huber. These individuals were found guilty last June on various charges related to conspiracy and criminal copyright infringement.
Sentencing for all involved will occur on February 3rd and 4th, 2025. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri announced the verdict alongside U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for Nevada and FBI Assistant Director David Sundberg.
The FBI's Washington Field Office led the investigation with help from their Las Vegas counterparts. The prosecution team includes Senior Counsel Matthew A. Lamberti and Trial Attorney Michael Christin from the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime Section.