The US Federal Communications Commission has given the operator of a New Jersey FM radio station 30 days to pay a penalty of nearly $1 million, for what the regulator says is unlicensed operation of a radio station on 91.7 MHz. The commission identified the station as Radio Leve Kanpe which is described on a number of websites online as having Haitian Creole programming.

The station's operator, Masner Beauplan of Middletown, New York, has been assessed a forfeiture of $920,000 for what the commission says were illegal broadcasts between November 16th, 2023, and January 8, 2024. The FCC said that Beauplan had been sent a Notice of Apparent Liability in September of 2024 but never responded. Failure to pay means that the regulator refers the case to the US Justice Department, which is responsible for collecting the fines.

The Preventing Illegal Radio Abuse Through Enforcement Act, or PIRATE Act, of 2020 permitted the FCC to raise its fines when going after unlicensed broadcasters. Violating the PIRATE Act carries a maximum penalty of approximately $2.4 million.