robby3333
12-10-2008, 10:42 PM
An attempt to receive free satellite television by modifying five smart cards ended up costing a 47year-old man $2,000 in fines.
Ramesh Chhotalal Chevli, now a resident of Calgary, was not present at Regina Provincial Court on Friday when defence lawyer Robert Skinner entered a guilty plea on Chevli’s behalf to a section under the federal Radiocommunications Act.
Chevli pleaded guilty to possessing modified equipment devices or components thereof — the smart cards — in order to contravene another section of the act that makes it illegal to receive an encrypted subscription programming signal (such as satellite television) without paying for it.
The offence dates back to June 12, 2006, in Regina. One month before that, Chevli had obtained a package containing five smart cards, used for a number of technological purposes including accessing satellite signals.
In this case, the cards pertained to Bell ExpressVu.
After obtaining the cards, Chevli — who didn’t have a previous criminal record — used his computer programming knowledge to reprogram the cards in order to access the satellite signal for free.
Skinner said his client suffers from a severe back injury with his only income from pension.
Because of Chevli’s lack of economic means, Skinner requested that his client be given six months to pay the $2,000 fine, an amount jointly requested by both Skinner and federal Crown agent Al McIntyre.
Judge Leslie Halliday agreed to impose that sentence.
In addition, Halliday agreed to a forfeiture order requested by McIntyre that requires Chevli to give up the smart cards and his hard drive containing the program that modifies the cards.
sr
Ramesh Chhotalal Chevli, now a resident of Calgary, was not present at Regina Provincial Court on Friday when defence lawyer Robert Skinner entered a guilty plea on Chevli’s behalf to a section under the federal Radiocommunications Act.
Chevli pleaded guilty to possessing modified equipment devices or components thereof — the smart cards — in order to contravene another section of the act that makes it illegal to receive an encrypted subscription programming signal (such as satellite television) without paying for it.
The offence dates back to June 12, 2006, in Regina. One month before that, Chevli had obtained a package containing five smart cards, used for a number of technological purposes including accessing satellite signals.
In this case, the cards pertained to Bell ExpressVu.
After obtaining the cards, Chevli — who didn’t have a previous criminal record — used his computer programming knowledge to reprogram the cards in order to access the satellite signal for free.
Skinner said his client suffers from a severe back injury with his only income from pension.
Because of Chevli’s lack of economic means, Skinner requested that his client be given six months to pay the $2,000 fine, an amount jointly requested by both Skinner and federal Crown agent Al McIntyre.
Judge Leslie Halliday agreed to impose that sentence.
In addition, Halliday agreed to a forfeiture order requested by McIntyre that requires Chevli to give up the smart cards and his hard drive containing the program that modifies the cards.
sr