Sports gambler pleads guilty to threatening Rays players
March 11, 2021 - Benjamin Patz, also known as Parlay Patz, has pleaded guilty to a charge of transmitting threats in interstate or foreign commerce and faces up to five years in federal prison. Patz, 24, is a resident of Napa, Calif., and a high-profile sports gambler. According to his plea agreement, he threatened, via social media posts, to kill four Tampa Bay Rays players and their family members following the Rays’ loss to the Chicago White Sox on July 20, 2019. He also threatened a Chicago White Sox player. The FBI investigated the case as part of its Integrity in Sport and Gaming Initiative, an effort to tackle illegal sports gambling and combat threats of influence from criminal enterprises. Patz’s sentencing date has not yet been set.