Two Connecticut residents have been charged with using thousands of stolen identities to defraud online gambling sites, including FanDuel, of more than $3 million.
The charges were filed against Glastonbury, Connecticut, residents Amitoj Kapoor (29) and Siddharth Lillaney (29) following their arrest by local law enforcement.
Kapoor and Lillaney face 45-count federal gambling indictment
Both men appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia and a federal grand jury in New Haven, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, and were each released on a $300,000 bond.
United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut David X. Sullivan, Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England, and Bryan T. Cafferelli, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, released the news as a joint statement.
Which read the 45-count indictment was returned via grand jury on the “fraud, identity theft, and money laundering offenses stemming from a scheme to use stolen identities to defraud FanDuel and other online gambling companies of millions of dollars.”
Conspiracy to defraud gambling giants
The court documents leading to the 45-count indictment stated that both men had used various tools to mine personally identifiable information (PII) from Connecticut victims.
“Individuals who commit identity theft of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Demeo. “It’s alleged those charged caused immeasurable hardship to the victims of their identity theft scheme.”
According to the court papers, these allegations of data theft were used to exploit promotional “bonuses,” “credits,” or “bonus bets” offered when a user opened an account or placed an initial bet.
The men reportedly operated two website accounts for BeenVerified.com and TruthFinder.com to “obtain additional background information” on prospective victims.
The court alleged that the pair would use fraudulent accounts to take winnings and bonus bets and transfer them to a virtual card.
This was “backed by an FDIC-insured financial institution, which FanDuel allowed account holders to use to make deposits to and withdrawals from their FanDuel account.”
Data theft and fraud allegations at the heart of FanDuel Connecticut case
Data theft is a serious crime in the U.S., and using stolen data to impersonate any individual carries some substantial custodial jail time. Coupled with allegations that the pair used this data from a “darknet” or illegal market connections via Telegram, explain the severity of these myriad charges.
These allegations against Kapoor and Lillaney include:
- 23 counts of wire fraud, each carrying a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years
- 10 counts of money laundering, each carrying a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years
- 8 counts of identity fraud, each carrying a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud and identity fraud, each carrying a maximum term of imprisonment of 5 years
- 2 counts of aggravated identity theft, an offense that carries a mandatory consecutive term of imprisonment of 2 years
- one count of money laundering conspiracy, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years
The prosecuting parties have given a timeframe of the supposed fraud, with their documents showing that as early as 2021, Kapoor and Lillaney used “the PII of approximately 3,000 identity theft victims to open FanDuel and other online gambling accounts, and generated approximately $3 million in profits during the scheme.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. McGarry is prosecuting Kapoor and Lillaney, based on the basis of information presented by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP).
FanDuel is the online gaming operator for Mohegan Sun Casino.
“Fraud, identity theft, and the misuse of personal information have no place in a regulated marketplace. We commend the federal and state authorities for their work and decisive action in this case,” said James Gessner Jr., Mohegan Tribal Chairman, in a separate press release.
“We continue to invest in advanced systems, responsible gaming tools, and fraud‑prevention measures to ensure a safe and secure experience for every player online and in all other areas of our business. Cases like this highlight the critical advantages of regulated iGaming, where strict oversight and close coordination with law enforcement protect consumers far more than unregulated alternatives. Mohegan remains committed to strong consumer protection regulations, preventing underage and problem gaming, and stopping fraud.”
“Although it may have started as a gaming-related investigation, the scope of the alleged identity theft and fraud, with thousands of potential victims across the country, quickly became the primary focus of this investigation,” said DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli.
“Identity theft is a serious crime that can have lasting consequences for victims. We are proud of the work our team has done to result in these arrests, and grateful to the IRS Investigators and U.S. Attorney’s Office for assisting in our investigation and pursuing this case,” added DCP Gaming Director Kris Gilman.
Featured image: “CT – New Haven: United States Post Office and Courthouse” by Wally Gobetz / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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