EchoStar, along with its signal security partner NagraStar, said that an international satellite piracy disrtibutor has agreed to plead guilty in a California federal court to two felony offenses - theft of satellite signals and theft of trade secrets. The accused Simi Valley-based signal pirate faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and a fine of more than $750,000 plus restitution, the companies said.
With the help of extensive surveillance by the companies, the FBI executed a search and seizure warrant against Alexander Gluzman in March. According to EchoStar, Gluzman was found in possession of devices used for the unauthorized decryption of DISH Network's satellite programming.
Gluzman is expected to be arraigned on the charges July 31 in a Los Angeles District Court, EchoStar said.
The charge of theft of trade secrets against Gluzman is the result of infractions against "another national satellite provider" discovered during the investigation, EchoStar said. Gluzman reportedly admitted to obtaining and unlawfully distributing trade secrets and proprietary information from "that provider."