{"id":24245,"date":"2022-12-28T09:57:02","date_gmt":"2022-12-28T14:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=24245"},"modified":"2022-12-28T09:57:02","modified_gmt":"2022-12-28T14:57:02","slug":"u-s-marshals-will-sell-pirate-iptv-owners-house-only-99m-still-to-pay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2022\/12\/28\/u-s-marshals-will-sell-pirate-iptv-owners-house-only-99m-still-to-pay\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Marshals Will Sell Pirate IPTV Owner\u2019s House, \u2018Only\u2019 $99m Still to Pay"},"content":{"rendered":"

In June 2022, a court in the United States awarded DISH Network, Sling, and NagraStar, more than $100m in damages against pirate IPTV service, Nitro TV. While the plaintiffs are unlikely to recover the full amount, they are determined to get what they can. The U.S. Marshals Service has just announced the upcoming sale of a house worth around a million dollars, just 1% of the overall debt.<\/p>\n

Some players in the pirate IPTV market view subscription sales as little more than a side hustle, one that brings in a few dollars here, and a few dollars there. No big deal.<\/p>\n

That may well be the case but elsewhere in the chain, people are making serious money. Bill Omar Carrasquillo, aka Omi in a Hellcat, openly admits that he made multiple tens of millions from his service, Gears TV. The operators of Nitro TV didn\u2019t make\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0much, but the amount still contained one or two digits followed by six zeros.<\/p>\n

In common with Carrasquillo<\/a>, legal problems also engulfed Nitro operator Alex Galindo and several members of his family. After being sued in 2021 by US broadcaster DISH Network, Sling and NagraStar, in June 2022 a court ordered Nitro\u2019s operators to pay more than\u00a0$100m in damages<\/a>, a staggering amount that won\u2019t ever be recovered in full.<\/p>\n

Recovery in part can\u2019t be ruled out, however.<\/p>\n

Plaintiffs Go After the Money<\/h2>\n

In July 2022, the plaintiffs stepped on the gas by requesting several writs of garnishment at a Texas district court. Believing that the Galindos had squirreled away several million dollars in various bank accounts, the plaintiffs sought permission to find out exactly how much was involved and where it could be found.<\/p>\n

Among those contacted were Wells Fargo Bank, Woodforest National Bank, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Bank of America, and Capital One\u00a0(example response below)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"cap-one-bank\"<\/a><\/center> <\/p>\n

All responses received amounted roughly to the same thing \u2013 if there was ever any money, it\u2019s all gone now. In October 2022, the plaintiffs updated the court on their findings, noting that more than $10 million had been spent, relocated, or otherwise disappeared.<\/p>\n

Disappearing Millions<\/h2>\n

Referring to Nitro TV defendants Alejandro (Alex), Anna, Martha, and Osvaldo Galindo as \u201cJudgment Debtors\u201d, the plaintiffs reminded the court of ignored pre-lawsuit cease-and-desist correspondence, failure to shut down Nitro TV after the lawsuit was filed, and destruction of evidence while it was underway.<\/p>\n

Then came details of the bank accounts;<\/p>\n

\u2013 $5.8m deposited into Martha and Osvaldo Galindo\u2019s Chase accounts. Balance: $49.22.
\n\u2013 $3.0m deposited into Martha\u2019s Capital One account. Response: No active accounts
\n\u2013 $1.0m deposited into Anna\u2019s Woodforest account. Balance: unspecified negative sum
\n\u2013 $164k deposited into Alex\u2019s Wells Fargo account. Response: No active accounts<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAll told, the entirety of the $10 million that Judgment Debtors are known to have received from their sale of Device Codes has been removed from Judgment Debtors\u2019 accounts,\u201d DISH and Nagra informed the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than $1.5 million of those funds was transferred to a Galindo family member in Mexico and another $181,730.00 was transferred to Alejandro Galindo\u2019s ex-wife, further demonstrating that Judgment Debtors have taken steps to conceal their illicit proceeds and prevent Plaintiffs from enforcing the Judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some assets are less easily relocated, however.<\/p>\n

A Very Nice House in Texas<\/h2>\n

While protection varies from state to state, a homestead exemption can limit creditors\u2019 access to equity held in a home. A property identified by the plaintiffs in Friendswood, Texas, does not enjoy any protection, the plaintiffs informed the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Friendswood Property was purchased using funds that Judgment Debtors wrongfully acquired from their sale of Device Codes [pirate IPTV subscriptions],\u201d the companies said, referencing the property in the video below.<\/p>\n