Steve Mehs
12-16-02, 03:22 AM
A Massachusetts man appeared last week in federal court in Boston on charges of possession and sale of illegal access devices used to unscramble satellite TV signals.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Robin A. Avers, special agent in charge of the U.S. Customs Service in New England, announced Friday that James V. Goggin, 34, of Saugus, Mass., was charged in a federal indictment with modification and distribution of electronic devices for the unauthorized decryption of direct-to-home satellite television services.
The two-count indictment alleges that - along with his business of installing and servicing satellite TV systems for residential use - Goggin helped customers illegally obtain DirecTV services. According to the indictment, Goggin sold access cards programmed to allow customers to unscramble DirecTV signals without paying subscription fees, reprogrammed customer access cards in order to defeat electronic countermeasures, and provided customers with "bootloaders" and other hardware designed to defeat DirecTV's signal scrambling efforts.
If convicted on the charges, Goggin faces up to five years in prison on each count, to be followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000, the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston said.
From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com/skyreport/dec2002/121602.shtm#three) (Used with Permission)
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan and Robin A. Avers, special agent in charge of the U.S. Customs Service in New England, announced Friday that James V. Goggin, 34, of Saugus, Mass., was charged in a federal indictment with modification and distribution of electronic devices for the unauthorized decryption of direct-to-home satellite television services.
The two-count indictment alleges that - along with his business of installing and servicing satellite TV systems for residential use - Goggin helped customers illegally obtain DirecTV services. According to the indictment, Goggin sold access cards programmed to allow customers to unscramble DirecTV signals without paying subscription fees, reprogrammed customer access cards in order to defeat electronic countermeasures, and provided customers with "bootloaders" and other hardware designed to defeat DirecTV's signal scrambling efforts.
If convicted on the charges, Goggin faces up to five years in prison on each count, to be followed by up to three years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $250,000, the U.S. Attorney's office in Boston said.
From SkyReport (http://www.skyreport.com/skyreport/dec2002/121602.shtm#three) (Used with Permission)