A Clacton man has been sentenced after he admitted to money laundering linked to selling access to illegal streaming platforms. Aaron Smith, 41, of Point Clear Road in St Osyth, sold access to more than 540 people, charging annual fees to keep the service running. Essex Police said Smith ignored a cease-and-desist letter sent to him in 2023, warning of the offences involved in providing access to illegal streaming services. The investigation that followed found he was supplying hundreds of people with the illegal access. Smith was arrested in Clacton in December 2024. Officers carried out a warrant at his home, seizing his laptop and phone. Messages recovered from the phone showed he was advertising the devices for sale as early as October 2020, while the laptop contained conversations about selling the sticks. Police said hundreds of payments connected to the devices were made into Smith’s bank accounts, totalling more than £72,000. A Freezing Order was put in place to freeze money the force believed represented criminal property. Smith pleaded guilty to money laundering and the sale or hire of an article infringing copyright at Chelmsford Crown Court in July. He was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, at the same court this month. Essex Police said Detective Sergeant Mike Monkton described the activity as a criminal enterprise, with the financial cost to rights holders and legitimate broadcasters said to be “vast”.