Woolwich man, ‘Omi in a Hellcat,’ ordered to pay thousands and thousands in cable TV piracy conviction

PHILADELPHIA – A YouTube superstar from South Jersey has been ordered to forfeit greater than $30 million and to pay greater than $15 million in restitution for his position in a scheme to steal programming from cable TV suppliers.

Invoice Omar Carrasquillo, 36, of Woolwich additionally acquired a five-and-a-half-year jail time period for the copyright-infringement scheme, in keeping with the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace in Philadelphia.

Carrasquillo and accomplices pirated copyrighted content material from Comcast Corp., Verizon Fios and different cable tv suppliers, then resold it for viewing by their very own subscribers from March 2016 till November 2019, the federal prosecutor’s workplace alleged in an announcement.

Who’s Omi in a Hellcat?

In a court docket submitting, Carrasquillo’s legal professional described his consumer as a highschool dropout who had grown up in an atmosphere of poverty and abuse in Philadelphia.

Extra: Choose’s ruling faultedPrison officer, wrongly jailed for years, has new view on incarceration

The submitting mentioned Carrasquillo sought a “protected haven” at YouTube, the place he attracted greater than 800,000 subscribers for his channel, Omi in a Hellcat.

It asserted Carrasquillo, with a million followers on Instagram, generated “important authorized compensation” from the YouTube channel, a development firm and different tasks.

Carrasquillo initially developed a lawful enterprise promoting set-top containers that got here programmed with outdated TV collection, the legal professional, Donte Mills of New York Metropolis, mentioned within the sentencing memorandum.

Carrasquillo initially obtained the set-top containers from a web-based retailer, then moved into making his personal merchandise, the memorandum says.

‘He crossed the road’

“It was authorized till he crossed the road into having some recordings on his platform,” in keeping with Mills. “Omar is aware of he went too far along with his product in his effort to remain aggressive and he broke the regulation.”

“As soon as he added copyrighted works, it turned felony legal exercise,” the legal professional acknowledged.

Story continues

The scheme used tools obtained from China to thwart encryption measures that forestall the copying of exhibits supplied by cable TV suppliers, in keeping with the federal prosecutor’s workplace.

Carrasquillo admitted guilt beneath a plea settlement to crimes that included conspiracy, replica of a protected work, cash laundering and tax evasion.

The pirated programming was supplied to tens of 1000’s of subscribers on this nation and overseas, in keeping with U.S. Legal professional Jacqueline Romero.

The scheme supported a lavish life-style for Carrasquillo, who purchased properties and dozens of automobiles, together with high-end sports activities vehicles, in keeping with a 69-page indictment in September 2021.

Luxurious vehicles, bikes to be forfeited

As a part of his sentence, Carrasquillo was ordered to pay $10.7 million to victimized cable firms and greater than $5 million to the IRS.

A forfeiture order calls for “all property” obtained from proceeds of the piracy scheme.

That features $5.2 million seized from a checking account, $20,000 recovered from a 2020 Bentley Continental and $80,000 from a 2018 Mercedes Benz AMG.

The order additionally seeks forfeiture of greater than 20 properties, together with Carrasquillo’s 5,100-square-foot dwelling on 2.5 acres on Fox Chase Court docket in Woolwich and .a home on Fern Highway in Millville,.

The order additionally identifies greater than 50 automobiles. together with about 20 bikes.

Carrasguillo was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Choose Harvey Bartle III in Philadelphia federal court docket.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Submit, Burlington County Occasions, and The Each day Journal.

This text initially appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Submit: Bill Omar Carrasquillo sentenced for role in cable TV piracy scheme