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‘Dodgy box’ operator who made €900k from illegal streaming service back in jail

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‘Dodgy box’ operator who made €900k from illegal streaming service back in jail

A businessman who obtained over €900,000 in criminal proceeds from operating an illegal “dodgy box” TV streaming service has been placed back behind bars following his latest court appearance.

Ciaran Donovan, 42, a married father of four from Ashfield, Kildare Town, Co Kildare, pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing the proceeds of crime contrary to the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.




Donovan, who now works in a car valeting business, operated King Kong Media, which charged customers for codes to illegally access TV streaming services from an app they downloaded through social media. The “dodgy box” scheme allowed thousands of customers in Ireland to illegally access subscription sports and movie channels.

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At a sentencing hearing at Naas Circuit Criminal Court on Friday, Judge Martina Baxter ordered that Donovan should be placed in custody before she would issue her ruling in the case at the end of the month. In May, the court heard that the illegal TV streaming service had been shut down after Donovan had been released from custody to arrange its closure.

A Garda witness confirmed that Donovan had fulfilled his commitment to meet a representative of Sky TV and a member of An Garda Síochána to hand over details of certain codes and web addresses. He was also required to put a notice on Telegram and other social media platforms that the service had been cut off.

The app which provided an illegal streaming service allowed viewers to access subscription TV channels from around the world, including Sky Sports and BT Sports, for an annual fee of around €70.

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