Two Indian American men from Glastonbury have been charged in federal court for allegedly using thousands of stolen identities to defraud FanDuel and other online gambling platforms of nearly $3 million.
A federal grand jury in New Haven on February 3 returned a 45-count indictment against Amitoj Kapoor, 29, and Siddharth Lillaney, 29, both residents of Glastonbury. The charges include fraud, identity theft, and money laundering, according to the US Attorney’s Office District of Connecticut.
The announcement was made by US Attorney David X. Sullivan, along with Thomas Demeo of the IRS Criminal Investigation, and Bryan T. Cafferelli of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.
Kapoor and Lillaney were arrested on February 5 and appeared before US Magistrate Judge Maria E. Garcia in New Haven. Both were released on $300,000 bonds.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
According to court documents, the two men conspired to defraud online gambling companies by opening user accounts using stolen personal information belonging to victims in Connecticut and other states.
Prosecutors said the accounts were used to exploit promotional incentives for new users, including bonus credits and free bets. To obtain victim data, Kapoor and Lillaney allegedly purchased stolen personal information from darknet marketplaces and through the encrypted messaging service Telegram.
Authorities also said the defendants maintained accounts on background-check websites to gather additional details about victims. This information was allegedly used to answer identity-verification questions during account registration.
When wagers placed with bonus bets resulted in winnings, prosecutors claimed the funds were transferred to virtual stored-value cards linked to FDIC-insured financial institutions. The proceeds were then routed into bank and investment accounts controlled by the defendants.
Scale of the Operation
Federal authorities allege that since 2021, Kapoor and Lillaney used the personal information of about 3,000 victims to open accounts on FanDuel and other platforms, generating approximately $3 million in profits.
“As alleged, these two men used thousands of stolen identities to exploit new-user incentives and gamble with stolen money,” Sullivan said. “Their winning streak is now over.”
Demeo said large-scale identity theft schemes would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, adding that IRS investigators remain focused on tracing complex financial transactions and money-laundering networks.
Cafferelli said the case began as a routine gaming-related inquiry but expanded rapidly due to the scale of the alleged fraud. He urged potential victims to report identity theft through IdentityTheft.gov.
Charges and Possible Penalties
The indictment includes:
- One count of conspiracy to commit wire and identity fraud
- 23 counts of wire fraud
- Eight counts of identity fraud
- Two counts of aggravated identity theft
- One count of money laundering conspiracy
- Ten counts of money laundering
Several charges carry maximum prison terms of up to 20 years, while aggravated identity theft counts carry mandatory consecutive two-year sentences.
Federal prosecutors emphasized that the indictment is only an आरोप (allegation) and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
