A 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty to internet piracy charges for uploading episodes of 24 online.

The Fox network brought the case against Chicago-based Jorge Romero claiming that they incurred an estimated $4 million in losses due to his uploading of the first four episodes of the sixth season a week before they were aired on television. He downloaded the episodes online, via a torrent website, then uploaded them to another website.

The source of the episodes leaking online is believed to have stemmed from Fox’s decision to release these episodes on DVD a day after they aired, meaning that they could have been ripped and placed online whilst during the manufacturing phase.

Romero is due to be sentenced on September 10 and could face a maximum term of three years' imprisonment.