California man and sports bettor Ben Patz’s plea has progressed to probation, as the 24-year-old menacing messenger was sentenced in federal court in Tampa, Fla., Thursday morning to 36 months probation for sending professional athletes threatening messages via Instagram.
Dubbed “Parlay Patz” in 2019 for multiple reported five and six-figure parlay wins, covered most prominently by Action Network’s Darren Rovell, Patz pled guilty to one specific case: Sending threats to at least four Tampa Rays players after their game with the Chicago White Sox on July 20, 2019. Some of the messages he sent via Instagram included the following eye-openers:
- “I will sever your neck open you pathetic c**tbag”
- “I will enter your home while you sleep”
- “And sever your neck open”
- “I will kill your entire family”
- “Everyone you love will soon cease”
- “I will cut up your family” and “Dismember the[m] alive.”
Patz pleaded guilty in March to one count of transmitting threats in interstate or foreign commerce, according to court records obtained by ESPN. In addition to the 36 months probation, Patz is sentenced to six months of home detention and must take part in a mental health treatment program. ESPN further reports Patz is barred from all forms of gambling.
“In open court this morning, Mr. Patz expressed remorse for his actions and the hurt he caused and apologized to anyone who received one of his messages or was otherwise adversely affected by them,” David Weisbrod, Patz’s attorney, told ESPN in a statement. “He is also grateful for the court’s decision to place him on probation. Other than that, there will be no other comments.”
Breaking bad
Patz came to the attention of the public after Rovell penned a piece highlighting the styling and profiling ways of Patz, who, at the age of 22 in 2019, won over $1 million in parlays, hence the nickname.
He won $1 million in parlays in 50 days. He chartered a plane to the Virgin Islands and hired a chef. And with it, came the haters. A fake version of him selling picks on Twitter and a guy who fabricates his losses. The story of “Parlay Patz” continues https://t.co/rg1Nya9Qfg
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 17, 2019
But clearly, Patz wasn’t satisfied with his run of luck, and thought threatening players would be a good way to get back on the winning side of the ledger.
Patz faced up to five years in prison for his actions.
According to the original 21-page complaint, it was indicated there were other instances of Patz being a putz beyond the Rays-White Sox incident, threatening numerous collegiate and professional athletes.
“His substantial and persistent online sports wagering suggests that Patz may have threatened athletes who played in games on which he had unsuccessfully wagered and lost money,” FBI Special Agent Daniel A. Nowak stated in his affidavit, “or that he may have tried to influence the outcome of upcoming sports events on which he had wagered.”
Patz was originally arrested in March 2020.
