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October 18, 2000
Police Lieutenant Charged With Selling and Distributing Satellite TV Interception Devices
Emily M. Sweeney, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that a one-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, charging Frank C. Hawkins, Jr., age 53, of Canal Fulton, Ohio, with selling and distributing, and aiding and abetting the sale and distribution of electronic, mechanical, or other devices and equipment knowing and having reason to know that said devices and equipment were primarily of assistance in the unauthorized decryption of satellite cable programming or direct-to-home satellite services in violation of Title 47, United States code, Section 605(e)(4), and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.
According to indictment, the offense occurred between on or about April 12, 2000, and on or about April 17, 2000, in the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division.
The maximum statutory penalty for a violation of Title 47, United States Code, Section 605(e)(4) is 5 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $500,000, or both.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Kern, following an investigation by the Canton office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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