Professional Gambler Accused of Making Death Threats to Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman
A professional gambler that goes by the name Ben "Parlay" Patz has been accused of making death threats through burner accounts which involved, rape, murder, and other heinous acts to athletes and others close to them. Of those athletes that Patz made death threats to was former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman.
Listed using their initials in the affidavit from the U.S. Court in the middle district of Florida, here is what was said about Patz's messages to Gronkowski and Edelman:
"On February, 3, 2019, @parlaypatz posted a screenshot containing a bet placed with Heritage Sports for Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams, which was to occur the same day. The betting ticket appeared to be a wager of $10,000 on the Los Angeles Rams to win. Ultimately, however, the New England Patriots won the game 13-3. The same day, J.E., a professional football player for the New England Patriots, received an Instagram direct message from @b82hs9 that said, 'ILL RAPE AND MURDER YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY.' Also that same day, R.G., a professional football player for the New England Patriots, received Instagram direct messages from @b82hs9 that said, respectively, 'I WILL BRUTALLY RAPE AND MURDER YOUR FAMILY,' and, 'I WILL ENTER YOUR HOME WHILE YOU SLEEP AND SEVER YOUR NECK OPEN WITH A DULL KNIFE."
The FBI's investigation was able to trace those Instagram accounts back to Patz, who is accused of sending other types of violent messages to over 300 other accounts, which included mostly professional athletes or anyone close to them.
"Parlay Patz" turned himself into authorities on Thursday. He is accused of violating federal law prohibiting people from using online communications to threaten injury against people. The sentence for that violation is a maximum of five years in prison.
