50 Days, $1.1 Million and Apparently a Psychopath: The Rise and Fall of 'Parlay Patz'

He was riding high, 50 days, $1.1 million dollars, the Action Network's Darren Rovell profiled Ben "Parlay" Patz back in December.

At the time Rovell wrote:

Who is Ben “Parlay” Patz? He’s a 23-year-old kid who has become the latest fascination of the gambling world, amassing more than $1.1 million in gross winnings via parlays — often seen as the sports gambling world’s version of the lottery — in less than two months.

Patz has stayed away from including spreads within his parlays almost entirely, instead opting to back big moneyline favorites.

It may not be a sound strategy over the long-term, but it seems to be working for Patz, who just landed at nearby Teterboro Airport after chartering a jet to take himself and three friends to the British Virgin Islands at a timeshare program he purchased with some of his gambling winnings. A private chef made them food.

Just three months later Patz life has been turned upside-down.

The 23-year-old is under indictment for threatening several professional athletes and one college basketball player.

It's ugly.

An FBI agent details how he was able to determine said threats were sent via an email address allegedly owned by Patz.

From the indictment:

INITIAL INVESTIGATION

On March 9, 2019, C.R., a college basketball player for Pepperdine University, received four Instagram direct messages from Instagram handle @b82hs9. The messages stated, respectively, "Your throat will be severed open with a dull knife," "Your entire family will be beheaded and burned alive," "I will enter your home as you sleep and kill you," and "Watch your back, you're a dead man walking."

On March 10, 2019, an Emergency Disclosure Request ("EDR") was submitted to Facebook, Inc. for subscriber information for the @b82hs9 Instagram account. Facebook's response indicated that the account had been registered on September 30, 2018, with the email address benpatzl996@gmail.com.

On March 10, 2019, an EDR was submitted to Google LLC ("Google") for information concerning that email account. Google's response indicated that the account had been registered in the name "Ben Patz" with the recovery email address ben.patz@yahoo.com and phone SMS (i.e., text message) + 17073151768.

This account had last logged in on March 9, 2019, using the IP ("Internet Protocol") address 108.46.233.16.

Records checks indicate that PATZ was born in 1996 and holds a California driver's license.

THREATS TO PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES

On July 4, 2019, F.G., a professional-baseball player for the Toronto Blue Jays, received two Instagram direct messages from @b82hs9. The messages stated, respectively, ''I WILL BEHEAD YOU NIGGER," and "I WILL GAS YOUR DAUGHTERS AND THEN SEVER THEIR THROATS OPEN WITH A DULL KNIFE.'.'

On July 20, 2019, C.R., a professional baseball player for the Tampa Bay Rays, received an Instagram direct message from Instagram handle @jeanlucricharde. The message stated, "Your family will be beheaded." When he opened the Instagram direct message, C.R. was located at his residence in the Middle District of Florida.

On July 20, 2019, B.M., who is the girlfriend of J.D., a professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves, received two Instagram direct messages from @jeanlucricharde. The messages stated, respectively, "Your husband will be beheaded," and "I'll enter your home while you sleep and end both of you."

On July 27, 2019, M.F., a professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves, received two Instagram direct messages from Instagram handle @applesnsfufd. The messages stated, respectively, "I'll behead you and your family," and "I'll sever your neck open with a dull knife."

On July 28, 2019, L.H., a professional baseball player for the Oakland Athletics, received an Instagram direct message from @applesnsfufd. The message stated, "I will behead you and your family." Within one minute of the previous message, K.H., the wife of L.H., received four Instagram direct messages from @applesnsfufd. The messages stated, respectively, "I am going to sever your husbands neck open," "You and him will be dismembered together," "I will enter your home while you and your fuckwad husband sleep and I will bind you to your bed and sever your necks," and "Prepare yourself."

On July 29, 2019, H.R., a professional baseball player for the San Diego Padres, rece_ived an Instagram direct message from@applesnsfufd. The message stated, "I WILL BEHEAD YOUR F AM.JL Y." At approximately the same time, C.R., the wife ofH.R., received two Instagram direct messages from @applesnsfufd. The messages stated, respectively, "I will cut open your husband with a dull knife," and "I will sever you and him open."

15. Base on my training and experience, as well as my review of the relevant evidence in this investigation, I believe that PATZ transmitted these messages and that he did so for the purpose of issuing a threat and with knowledge that the communication would be viewed as a threat.

Of note, Patz filed an impersonation report to the social media site Twitter back in November against an individual he claims was pretending to be him.  The pick-seller turned around and followed his own suit.  

Rovell writes "Somehow, Twitter decides that the 'real' Parlay Patz is the fake one. He gloats about his win and taunts this reporter, who alerts his Twitter followers about the fraud."

Bookmaker William Hill is cited in the indictment as having cooperated with the FBI.

They provided, among other things, a hand written enrollment for Patz that contained his date of birth, his address in Napa, phone number (707) 315-1768, the email address ben.patz@yahoo.com, and his California driver's license number. The application also contained a "selfie" picture of Patz.

William Hill also provided betting information including a parlay wager that Patz had placed on June 29, 2019, on Francis Ngannou (a mixed martial artist), Germany (believed to be the German Women's World Cup team), the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Cleveland Indians.

That same day, Germany lost to Sweden in the Women's World Cup Quarterfinal. Also that same day, H.L., a professional soccer player for the Swedish women's soccer team, received two Instagram direct messages from@b82hs9.

The messages said, respectively, "I'm going to rape and dismember you" and "I will sever your aorta while you sleep."

Also on June 29, 2019, the Cleveland Indians lost a baseball game to the Baltimore Orioles.

That same day, Z.P., a professional baseball player for the Cleveland Indians, received an Instagram direct message from @b82hs9 that said, "You and your family will die."

Additionally, A.S., a professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, received two Insiagram direct messages from @b82hs9 that said, respectively, "Rola wetback" and "I'm going to behead you and your entire family."

Also on the same day, a professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, received two Instagram direct messages from @b82hs9 that said, ·respectively, "I will enter your home while you sleep and sever your neck open with a dull knife" and "I will brutally murder your daughter."

Also on July 20, 2019, the Atlanta B~aves lost a baseball game to the Washington Nationals. That same day, two professional baseball players for the Washington Nationals, A.E. and T.T, a professional baseball player for the Atlanta Braves, J.D., and J.D.'s girlfriend, B.M., all received Instagram direct messages from @b82hs9.

The messages included the following threats, among others: -To A.E.: "I will brutally murder you and your family" and "ILL SEVER YOUR NECK OPEN YOU UGLY CUNT"; -To T.T.: "I will kill everyone you love,': "I will sever their necks open" "I don't joke around," "I'm coming for you and your family. Your throats will be severed with a dull knife," and "I will make sure you along with they feel more pain than any human has ever felt"; -To J.D.: "I WILL KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WHILE YOU SLEEP" and "YOU RUINED THIS GAME. NOW I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO RUIN YOU"; -To B.M.: "Your husband will be beheaded" and I'll enter your home while you sleep and end both of you."

Records from William Hill show that PATZ had also placed a parlay wager on July 25, 2019, on the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Ugo Humbert a professional tennis player.

On July 25, 2019, the Cleveland Indians played a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, with a start time of 5: 15 p.m. PST. On the same day, at 4:32 p.m. PST, H.D., a professional baseball player for the Kansas City Royals, received two Instagram direct messages from @applesnsfufd that said, respectively, "I will cut open the throat of your baby" and "You will die."

At 4:37 p.m. PST, A.G., a professional baseball player for the Kansas City Royals, received a1:1 Instagram direct message from @applesnsfufd that said, "Hope ya family dies you ugly sloth."

The agent concludes that Patz committed violations of 18 U.S.C. § 875(c), which involves Communications and Threats.

(a) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any demand or request for a ransom or reward for the release of any kidnapped person, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
(b) Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
(c) Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
(d) Whoever, with intent to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value, transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to injure the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

- Alejandro Botticelli, Gambling911.com