Michael McGrane awaits sentencing over illegal television access

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Michael McGrane, 47, of Johnswood Drive, Ashbourne, pleaded guilty to two counts of selling a protection-defeating device and one count of possessing such a device, on dates between September 2017 and September 2018. He also admitted unlawful use of a computer between March and September 2018 as the mechanism by which the offences were committed.

At a hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on 4 October 2023, the court heard that McGrane sold unauthorised access to premium television content through streaming and altered set-top boxes. The proceedings were reported on 4 October 2023. Judge Orla Crowe adjourned sentencing until 13 October 2023.

The court heard that McGrane set up StreamSupreme and JarvisBox. Garda Alan Gordon said JarvisBox supplied the boxes and StreamSupreme facilitated the streaming. He said JarvisBox had turnover of €145,795 over three years. McGrane’s home was searched in June 2018, when gardaí seized laptops, phones, boxes and financial documents.

The report said CCTV showed McGrane’s wife posting a box. Charges against her were dropped after it emerged that she had not been involved in the operations.

Ken Costello, 50, involved in the software side of the enterprises, had previously received a 15-month fully suspended sentence. He had pleaded guilty to infringing copyright without the owner’s consent in County Dublin and admitted dishonestly operating a computer to make a gain at his address, both between March and September 2022.

Dominic McGinn SC, defending McGrane, said McGrane and Costello recovered only 40% of turnover, with the rest going to other PayPal accounts. He said the remaining profits were split equally and McGrane would have received just over €29,000 per year over three years. The court heard that McGrane had no previous convictions and cooperated with gardaí. McGinn said McGrane now recognised his conduct was illegal.