A federal jury in Las Vegas has convicted Yoany Vaillant, a Cuban citizen, and U.S. permanent resident, for his role in running Jetflicks, an illegal streaming service that pirated over 183,000 television episodes.
This case marks the largest internet piracy trial in U.S. history based on the volume of infringed works.
Vaillant, a programmer with 15 years of experience and proficiency in 27 coding languages, worked at Jetflicks for four months. During this time, he developed and maintained critical systems for downloading, processing, and streaming pirated content. Jetflicks, headquartered in Las Vegas, operated as a subscription service offering unauthorized access to copyrighted TV episodes, often made available within 24 hours of airing. The platform’s extensive inventory dwarfed licensed services like Netflix and Disney+, catering to tens of thousands of U.S. subscribers.
Prosecutors revealed that Vaillant and his co-conspirators sourced content from notorious piracy hubs such as The Pirate Bay and RARBG. The service caused millions of dollars in losses to copyright owners, impacting the U.S. television and streaming industries. Vaillant’s conviction is the culmination of legal actions against eight individuals involved in the operation, all of whom have now been found guilty.
The trial highlighted the scale of Jetflicks’ piracy operation, which affected nearly every major U.S. copyright holder. The founder, Kristopher Dallmann, and key collaborators were convicted earlier this year, with charges ranging from conspiracy to criminal copyright infringement and money laundering.
Sentencing for Vaillant and his co-defendants is scheduled for February 2025. The outcome will take into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the financial damage caused by the operation. The case, investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Las Vegas field offices, underscores a growing crackdown on large-scale digital piracy by U.S. authorities.
