Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act Annual Report to Congress January 22, 2026 The Commission submits this report in accordance with its obligations under the Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act (PIRATE Act or Act).1 Section 511(c) of the PIRATE Act requires the Commission, not later than one year after enactment and annually thereafter, to submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the U.S. Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representatives (together, the Committees) a report on (a) implementation of the PIRATE Act, and (b) the associated enforcement activities for the previous fiscal year.2 Accordingly, we are submitting this sixth annual PIRATE Act report to the Committees. Background. Pirate radio broadcasting is the unauthorized transmission of radio frequency signals on the frequencies in or adjacent to the FM and AM radio bands. Pirate radio broadcasting can interfere with licensed communications, including authorized broadcasts and communications by public safety entities. Moreover, such illegal operations pose a danger to the public because they may interfere with licensed stations that inform their listeners of important public safety emergency alert messages. Enforcement against pirate radio broadcasters has proven difficult historically. To enhance enforcement capabilities, Congress enacted the PIRATE Act on January 24, 2020. The PIRATE Act: • Increases the maximum monetary penalties for pirate radio operators, to $100,000 for a single act of violation, up to a total of $2 million;3 • Requires the Commission to conduct annual enforcement “sweeps” of pirate radio in five markets, with additional follow-up within six months of the sweeps; • Grants the FCC additional enforcement authority over property owners and managers that permit pirate radio stations to operate from their property; • Requires the Commission to build a database of pirate radio stations; and • Requires the Commission to submit an annual report to Congress on the implementation of the PIRATE Act. To implement the PIRATE Act, the Commission has implemented a plan focused on the following areas: engaging in concentrated enforcement activity (sweeps), initiating enforcement against landlords and property owners; developing and updating the public-facing database of pirate radio stations; hiring additional staff, with an emphasis on hiring Field Agents in or near offices where sweeps will occur; purchasing additional investigative vehicles and equipment for the additional Field Agents. Pirate sweeps. The PIRATE Act requires the Commission to conduct enforcement “sweeps” annually in the five markets with the most pirate radio operations. Commission staff have reviewed pirate 1 Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act, Pub. L. No. 116-109, 134 Stat. 3 (2020) (codified at 47 U.S.C. § 511). 2 47 U.S.C. § 511(c). 3 Per the inflation adjustments that apply to Commission statutory maximum forfeitures, these maximums were increased in January 2025 to $122,661 per day and $2,453,218 total. See 47 CFR 1.80(b)(6); Amendment of Section 1.80(b) of the Commission’s Rules, Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties to Reflect Inflation, Order, 40 FCC Rcd 25, 33 (EB 2025); see also, Annual Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties to Reflect Inflation, 90 Fed. Reg. 3710 (Jan. 15, 2025) (setting January 15, 2025, as the effective date for the increases). The inflation adjustment order increasing the maximum forfeiture amounts for 2026 has not yet been released by the Commission. radio complaints in order to identify the current top five markets with the most pirate radio operations. The Commission developed a plan for pirate sweeps and follow-up monitoring, which was initiated in the fourth calendar quarter of 2022. Enforcement actions taken against pirate radio operators. The PIRATE Act granted the Commission the authority to issue fines up to $2,000,000 (inflation adjusted to $2,391,097 in CY2024 and $2,453,218 in CY2025). In FY2025, the Commission issued six forfeiture orders and ten notices of apparent liability for forfeiture for pirate radio broadcasting. It also entered into three consent decree agreements with pirate radio operators—each with twenty-year compliance plans. • On September 10, 2025, the Commission issued forfeiture orders that affirmed fines—proposed in September 2024—against Masner Beauplan for $920,000 and against Wilner Baptiste for $40,000—for pirate radio broadcasting in the New York City area. • On September 9, 2025, the Commission proposed a fine of $60,000, jointly and severally, against Radio Energy, Inc., and Pelege Marcellin for pirate radio broadcasting in Worcester, Massachusetts. • On August 7, 2025, the Commission proposed a fine of $20,000, jointly and severally against, Amoce Pamphile, Alemy Mondestin, and Radio Evangelique de la Grace, Inc, for pirate radio broadcasting in Providence, Rhode Island. It also proposed a fine of $25,000 against Noah Opoku Gyamfi for pirate radio broadcasting in Brockton, Massachusetts. • On August 7, 2025, the Commission entered into a consent decree agreement to settle the pirate radio investigation of Brigido Danerys Gonzalez for pirate radio broadcasting in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Gonzalez agreed to pay a voluntary contribution of $6,000 and to a twenty-year compliance plan in which he agreed to cease pirate radio broadcasting. Gonzalez also agreed to make an additional voluntary contribution of $34,000 if he failed to comply with the terms of the consent decree. • On July 8, 2025, the Commission entered into a consent decree agreement to settle the pirate radio investigation of Jean Marius for pirate radio broadcasting in Brockton, Massachusetts. Marius agreed to pay a voluntary contribution of $10,000 and to a twenty-year compliance plan in which he agreed to cease pirate radio broadcasting. Marius also agreed to make an additional voluntary contribution of $587,775 if he failed to comply with the terms of the consent decree. • On June 6, 2025, the Commission issued a forfeiture order that affirmed a fine—proposed in January 2024—against Fabrice Polynice for $2,391,097 for pirate radio broadcasting in North Miami, Florida. • On May 14, 2025, the Commission entered into a consent decree agreement to settle the pirate radio investigation of Wilfrid Salomon for pirate radio broadcasting in Miami, Florida. Salomon agreed to pay a voluntary contribution of $10,000 and to a twenty-year compliance plan in which he agreed to cease pirate radio broadcasting. Salomon also agreed to make an additional $347,665 voluntary contribution if he failed to comply with the terms of the consent decree. • On February 28, 2025, the Commission proposed a fine of $325,322 against Abdias Datis and a $60,000 fine against Aaron Streeter for pirate radio broadcasting in Miami, Florida. • On January 8, 2025, the Commission proposed multiple fines for pirate radio broadcasting. These included fines of $60,000, jointly and severally, against Sheldon Morgan and Morgan Media, LLC in Hartford, Connecticut; $60,000 against Wilfredo Ayala in Hartford, Connecticut; $40,000 against Efrain Gonzalez in Waterbury, Connecticut; $60,000 against Carlos Alberto Vazquez in Painsville, Ohio; and $40,000 against James Baran in Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio. 2 • On December 13, 2024, the Commission issued forfeiture orders that affirmed fines proposed in April 2024—against Renold David for $120,000, against Joao Vieira for $40,000, and jointly and severally, against Djovany Pierre and Mario Turner for $40,000—for pirate radio broadcasting in Brockton, Massachusetts. • Although not occurring in FY2025, on November, 14 2025, the Commission entered into a consent decree with Robert Bellinger for pirate radio broadcasting in Cotuit, Massachusetts.4 In addition, on January 12, 2026, the Commission released four Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture for pirate radio broadcasting in the New York metropolitan area with individual proposed forfeitures against Etzer Toussaint, Robert Bekune, Jean Boncoeur, and Henderson Lennox Elcock. Enforcement actions taken against property owners and property managers. The PIRATE Act granted the Commission authority to pursue enforcement sanctions against any party that willingly and knowingly “suffers to be done,” or allows, pirate radio activities. This grant of authority provides the Commission with the ability to take enforcement action against property owners and property managers that, after receiving notice of pirate radio transmissions emanating from properties that they own or control, continue to allow such activity. FCC Enforcement Bureau Field staff have issued notices to inform property owners and property managers of apparent pirate radio broadcasts from their property and to describe the potential consequences to the property owner or manager if such activity does not cease. In FY2025, the Bureau issued 28 such notices, including 17 related to pirate sweeps. Because pirate radio stations often cease operating for a period of time but then return, the Bureau will continue to monitor the properties for which notices were provided and will initiate enforcement action where appropriate. Pirate radio station and licensed radio station public-facing database. The pirate radio database was deployed on the FCC’s website on January 23, 2023.5 The public database has been updated with all publicly released activity through December 31, 2025. Hiring. To date the Commission has hired six new full-time employees under the PIRATE Act but did not hire any new employees in FY 2025. Equipment Purchasing. Commission staff continues to develop customized mobile direction- finding investigative vehicles and deploy additional monitoring equipment to enable Field Agents to locate pirate radio operators. With this Report, the Commission satisfies the obligation pursuant to section 2 of the PIRATE Act to submit a report to Congress on (a) the implementation of the PIRATE Act and (b) the associated enforcement activities for the previous fiscal year.6 4 See Robert Bellinger, Consent Decree, DA 25-873, 2025 WL 3229974 (EB Nov. 1 2025). 5 Federal Communications Commission, Pirate Radio Database, https://opendata.fcc.gov/stories/s/wgq8-eb5c. 6 47 U.S.C. § 511(c). 3