Abu Sabet: Hundreds of Bangladeshi businessmen are terrified after two Bangladeshi-origin brothers were accused of illegally operating an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) business in the United States. They have been running their IPTV business day after day, showing the thumbs up to the administration for a long time. They were terrified by the news of the arrest of Noor Nabi Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi-origin man, in Cheektowaga, New York on Tuesday morning. Many have since turned off their phones.
Due to the lack of data, it is difficult to determine the exact number of IPTV business owners in the United States. However, it is certain that thousands of IPTV providers are operating across the country, including hundreds of Bangladeshis. Starting from small and local businesses to large established companies, most of them are known to be illegal.
Earlier tuesday, in federal court in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Noor Nabi Chowdhury and his brother, Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, with conspiracy to provide to the public an illicit digital transmission service; providing an illicit digital transmission service; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and aggravated identity theft. The charges stem from the defendants’ operation of 247TVStream, an online subscription-based service that permitted users to stream copyrighted content, such as live sports programming and television shows, without the permission of the relevant copyright owners. Chowdhury was arrested this morning and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. Rahman remains at large.
Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Criminal Division and William S. Walker, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New York, announced the arrest and indictment.
“As alleged, the defendants operated a bootleg online streaming service that distributed copyrighted television programs that they stole for their personal enrichment,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “My Office and the Department of Justice are committed to protecting the rights of intellectual property holders from digital pirates like these defendants.”
Mr. Peace expressed his thanks to the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Surrey and City of London Police, United Kingdom, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Fiscale Inlichtingen- en Opsporingsdienst, Netherlands, and the United States Postal Inspection Service for their assistance.
“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.”
“Noor Nabi Chowdhury and Mohammad Rahman are accused of committing copyright infringement to the tune of over $100 million. As alleged and in furtherance of their criminal scheme, the defendants stole an unsuspecting victim’s identity to exploit major American businesses, in pursuit of illicit wealth,” stated HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Walker. “HSI New York proudly stands alongside our law enforcement and private sector partners, both domestic and abroad, to thwart criminal organizations who seek to financially capitalize on their wrongdoing.”
As alleged, between approximately May 2017 and November 2024, the defendants operated 247TVStream, a service that provided online video and sports streaming services. For a subscription fee of as little as $10 per month, 247TVStream enabled its subscribers to view live television and sports programming on their internet-connected devices. However, unlike legitimate streaming services, 247TVStream had not licensed the right to access those programs from the platforms on which they were legitimately offered.
The estimated economic harm caused by 247TVStream to television program copyright owners, as well as licensed streaming services, is more than $100 million.
In connection with this case, a seizure order was executed against website domain names used by Chowdhury and Rahman to operate 247TVStream. The seizure of these domains by the government will prevent the use of these sites to operate 247TVStream.
Individuals, including subscribers, visiting those sites will now see messages indicating that the sites have been seized by the federal government. In addition, in coordination with international law enforcement partners to enforce criminal copyright laws, Dutch and U.K. partners have seized the servers hosting a portion of the 247TVStream infrastructure.
The charges in the indictment are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
If convicted, Chowdhury and Rahman each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the conspiracy to provide the digital transmission service; three years in prison on providing the digital transmission service; 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud; and a mandatory term of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, to run consecutive to the other sentences.
The HSI New York Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from the HSI Buffalo Field Office and their Attaché Offices in Ottawa, The Hague and London.
Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Schuman is prosecuting the case with Trial Attorneys Vasantha Rao and Jeff Pearlman of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
Meanwhile, news of the arrest of IPTV businessman Noor Nabi Chowdhury has left thousands of IPTV businessmen, including hundreds of Bangladeshis in various states including New York terrified of arrest.
BP/SM
