A federal grand jury on St. Croix this week returned a two-count indictment against Greg Jiminez, operator of Greg’s Electronics in Frederiksted.
Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge George Cannon, Jiminez was advised of his rights and charged with selling unauthorized electronic communication interception devices and unauthorized publication or use of communications.
He was then released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
According to a statement from U.S. Attorney Ronald Sharpe and the U.S. Department of Justice, the federal investigation leading to Jiminez’s arrest found Jimenez sold a Free-to-Air satellite receiver and loaded pirate software onto the receiver in order to allow the purchaser to receive stolen DISH Network satellite television programming. The lesser of the two charges carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, while the more serious one carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Which charge is which is not explicitly stated in the official announcement.
The FBI is continuing its investigation into the sale of unauthorized satellite access devices and the illegal interception and descrambling of satellite signals in the Virgin Islands.
