HANOI: Police charged seven suspects on Wednesday (July 1) with copyright and related rights infringement and money laundering over an alleged film piracy operation spanning Hanoi, HCM City and other localities.
The violations were uncovered through routine investigative work and information provided by United States' authorities, including Homeland Security Investigations and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
Four men - Nguyen Dinh Minh Khoa, Nguyen Trung Anh, Nguyen Dinh Xuan, and Nguyen Hoang Thanh - face charges of infringing copyright and related rights, and of money laundering.
Three other suspects – Nguyen Phuoc Toan, Doan Thanh Luan, and Nguyen Khuong Duy – were charged with infringing copyright and related rights.
Police said the four ringleaders ran a network that created more than 100 websites to stream films online from 2020 to April 2026. The sites hosted more than 26,000 films copied illegally, without licences or the copyright holders' consent.
The network drew large numbers of users worldwide. Investigators allege the group profited roughly VNĐ308 billion (US$12.8 million) - through advertising placed on the pirate sites.
The suspects concealed the origin of the funds to evade detection, then moved the money into personal bank accounts, and used it to buy real estate and vehicles to launder the proceeds, investigators said.
Khoa, Anh, Xuan and Thanh are being held in pre-trial detention as investigators expand the probe. Toan, Luan and Duy have been barred from leaving their places of residence. — Vietnam News/ANN
