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An investigation by authorities by Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division led to an alleged scheme involving various DraftKings accounts, stolen credit card information and more than $190,000 in fraudulent activity between Aug. 4 and Sept. 15, 2024.
According to the warrants from this past fall, Visa cards linked to other people’s Wells Fargo bank accounts, but not in the victims’ names, were used to make the deposits to the DraftKings accounts.
The suspicious activity was found on DraftKings accounts “geolocated to the cities of Danbury, Newtown, Meriden, New Britain and Hartford,” and DraftKings incurred bank charge-backs as a result of the scheme, according to court documents.
The warrants read as follows: “The accounts typically deposited with newly added Visa cards, which were later determined to be fraudulent, followed by wagering through the funds in casino gameplay, and withdrawal to a different payment method found to be in the name of the suspect operating the account,."
Ten individuals were arrested for their alleged role in the scheme and now one of those charged is seeking a diversionary program that could erase the charges filed against him.
Raheem Richards, 33, applied for accelerated rehabilitation Wednesday in state Superior Court in Danbury, where he faces charges of second-degree identity theft, second-degree computer crime and third-degree larceny.
Specifically as it applies to Richards, the warrant for his arrest says he used stolen credit card information to deposit $9,200 into a DraftKings account in his name and then withdrew the funds into his personal bank account on Aug. 10, 2024.
The warrants also notes that investigators tried to reach Richards this past August but were unsuccessful, according to court documents.
A diversionary program allows a defendant to agree to complete certain requirements. If they successfully finish the program, the charge is usually dismissed, reduced, or never formally filed.
Richards has pleaded not guilty and a hearing on his eligibility for the accelerated rehabilitation program is scheduled for March 10. In Connecticut, it is generally not necessary to have to plead guilty to enter an Accelerated Rehabilitation (AR) program.
Others arrested in connection with the alleged DraftKings scheme include fellow Danbury residents Skyler Corte-Real, Gabriela Diaz, Miguel Ventura, Roger Jimenez, Lengny Vasquez, Samantha Pena, Jamar Peterson, Keven Machado, Orlando Medrano, Christopher Wattree, Bryan Jimenez and Yoel Perez. Bethel residents Isamar and Isaeal Tejada, Newtown resident Eduarda Colares, New Britain resident Yunior Bonifacio and a man named Alickson Germosen have also been charged.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
