Egypt’s Attorney-General refers two people to criminal trial for charges of establishing, operating live sports broadcast piracy network

CAIRO – March 8, 2026: Egypt’s Attorney-General has ordered the referral of two defendants to criminal trial on charges of establishing and managing a transnational criminal organization specializing in the piracy of live sports broadcasts and violations of copyrights through a network of websites, most notably the StreamEast and CrackStreams platforms.

These platforms were internationally ranked among the largest live sports broadcast piracy networks in the world, generating millions of dollars in illicit advertising revenue and recording more than 1.6 billion visits annually.

The Economic Affairs and Money Laundering Prosecution Office at the Egyptian Public Prosecutor’s Office launched investigations after receiving information from the General Directorate of Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights Protection, supported by technical data from the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), which includes major global media and sports companies led by the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

The investigation was conducted within the framework of close international cooperation, which helped authorities track the network’s technical infrastructure and monitor its criminal activities worldwide using open-source intelligence technology (OSINT).

Egypt’s Public Prosecution stated that the defendants managed a piracy network that operated multiple domain names and an extensive technical infrastructure to broadcast encrypted sports content without authorization, generating substantial financial returns from international advertising.

Investigations also revealed the defendants’ involvement in money laundering aimed at concealing the proceeds of their criminal activities. This was carried out through real estate purchases, the establishment of a shell company abroad, and the use of cryptocurrencies and cross-border financial platforms.

The Public Prosecution reaffirmed its commitment to firmly combating cybercrime, tracking digital piracy networks, and tracing their illicit proceeds within the framework of international judicial cooperation, in order to protect intellectual property rights and safeguard the national economy.