Federal authorities allege Patrick Kalonji shared personal information of over 150 online bettors with others for fraud.
Friday 27th June 2008
In America, a former employee of BetOnSports.com has been arrested and charged with conspiracy after allegedly stealing the personal information of at least 150 people who used the site.
Patrick Kalonji, a native of the Republic of Congo, worked in the credit card department of the online operator and was arrested by Federal authorities in Philadelphia over the weekend. The 27-year-old now faces up to 30 years in prison and a one million dollar fine if convicted. Michael Garcia, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, revealed that Kalonji has been charged with sharing personal information such as names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers with others for various frauds like making purchases over the Internet.
According to WNBC.com, Kalonji now lives in Canada and pled not guilty in Manhattan Federal Court on Monday before being remanded with the chance to apply for bail at a later date.
BetOnSports.com pled guilty to Federal racketeering charges last spring and agreed to co-operate in a case against the firm's founder and others. The site had operated from Costa Rica, where Kalonji had been based, but closed its doors to US business in 2006.
In America, a former employee of BetOnSports.com has been arrested and charged with conspiracy after allegedly stealing the personal information of at least 150 people who used the site.