- Daniel Aimson, 39, used his online scam to live a lavish lifestyle with wife Rachel
- The ex-Greater Manchester Police officer made over £655,000 during the scam
- At least half boxes he provided had been pre-loaded with black market software
- Aimson admitted conspiracy to defraud and faces extra year on six years in jail
A Breaking Bad-style police officer who masterminded a drugs racket has been given an extra year in jail for a pirate TV set-top box scam that cost pay channels up to £5million.
PC Daniel Aimson, 39, used his scam to live a lavish lifestyle with wife Rachel, 31, including eating £500 meals in Michelin star restaurants and enjoying luxury holidays abroad.
The former Greater Manchester Police officer made over £655,000 from the sale of IPTV or Zgemma boxes via eBay, YouTube, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
At least half the boxes he provided had been pre-loaded with black market software so consumers could watch sporting events on Sky Sports and BT Sports plus the latest blockbuster TV shows and movies at cut price rates.
Over a 14-month period, he accepted payments via Paypal and at one stage was even allowed to use a Barclaycard application for transactions.
The racket was smashed after Aimson was detained and suspended from work and his assets seized over his running of a wholesale drug trafficking racket inspired by the TV crime drama Breaking Bad.
The former officer was accused of copying storylines from the show to grow two cannabis farms.
Investigators from the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) bought a sample IPTV box via his firm A1mson Ltd and found he set up an account in Rachel's name and used his mother and sister's bank accounts to launder funds.
Inquiries revealed he had splashed out £540 on dinner at the three Michelin starred Alain Ducasse French restaurant at The Dorchester hotel in Mayfair, London.
He also spent almost £800 on a meal and 'gourmet break' for himself and Rachel at the Michelin starred Northcote manor hotel and restaurant in Blackburn, Lancashire.
Sky TV later said the racket had cost it up to £5million in lost subscriptions to its pay-per-view service.
But Manchester Crown Court heard the loss was more likely to be £500,000 due to questions over whether consumers who bought the boxes for around £60 accessed the illicit software.
Aimson, who is already serving a six-year jail term for drugs offences and misconduct in a public office admitted conspiracy to defraud.
His latest stretch will run consecutively to a six-year four-month jail term he is already serving for drugs offences and misconduct in a public office.
Rachel, of Leigh, was charged with money laundering but the charges were allowed to lie on file after she denied wrongdoing. The couple have now split up.
Sentencing Judge Elizabeth Nicholls told Aimson: 'It is right to say those IPTV boxes do have legitimate uses however with the right software they can allow customers top unlawfully get access to subscription channels.
'You deprived a number of companies from their lawful revenue and the consequences thererin to the economy as a whole.
'This was a sophisticated operation and you sold the boxes online through a number of websites.
'It has been very difficult to estimate the actual loss to these companies but you were brains behind this enterprise and operated it at a time when you were under investigation and on bail.
'None of the people you targeted were vulnerable victims, nevertheless you had a leading role and there must have been significant planning.'
Aimson was sacked from Greater Manchester Police in 2017.
Martyn Foster, 39, of Atherton, Manchester, who acted as a 'paid employee' of Aimson will be sentenced later this month over the racket.
