Is law enforcement starting to take the plague of pirate operators seriously? You might think so after the latest press release from the FCC’s enforcement bureau. We do know that Chairman Ajit Pai’s FCC has been pushing for more serious consequences for pirates, who seem to pop up time after time, even after the FCC tries to shut them down. We shall see if this is a one-time event or if there really is a new sheriff in town. Here are the details on the New York arrest.
On Wednesday, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office announced details of a joint investigation resulting in the arrest of and arraignment of a pirate radio operator in Croton-On-Hudson, New York. FCC field agents traced the illegal broadcasts and located the operator, Mr. Richard Dominguez, and worked with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, which seized Mr. Dominguez’s radio equipment and arrested him. The investigation led to Mr. Dominguez’s arraignment today on a charge of unauthorized radio transmission.
The website for the station has been suspended.
Enforcement Bureau’s field agents investigated a complaint of a pirate radio signal broadcasting on 98.5 FM in Croton-On-Hudson in Westchester County. The feds say the station was operated by Dominguez under the name “La Mojada FM.” The Commission shared the information with the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, which seized the illegal pirate radio station equipment and arrested its operator.
“Pirate radio operations interfere with licensed broadcasting—including public safety messages,” said Rosemary Harold, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. “It is vital that we combat this problem aggressively, and partnerships like this make that possible. I’m proud of the work of our FCC team and thank Westchester County prosecutors for their commitment to combating illegal broadcasting.”
Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. added: “We are proud to work with our federal partners to root out criminals wherever they are breaking the law in our community. The prosecution of this pirate radio broadcast is a unique collaboration between the Federal Communications Commission and our Investigations Division High Technology Crimes Bureau. No matter what kind of crime is committed here in Westchester, we will prosecute the defendants to the fullest.”
