Federal prosecutors in Connecticut have charged two Glastonbury residents with running a long-term scam that stole millions from major online gambling sites by misusing stolen personal information.
Federal Case Targets Alleged Multi-Year Betting Bonus Scam Using Stolen IDs
Court documents show that Amitoj Kapoor and Siddharth Lillaney, both 29, face a broad 45-count federal indictment including charges of wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering. Investigators say the duo took advantage of sign-up bonuses offered by licensed betting websites, with FanDuel named as the main target, along with other operators in the US market.
Officials claim the scheme kicked off in 2021 and ran for a few years. During this time, the suspects got their hands on personal details of about 3,000 people. This information included names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers. Prosecutors say the accused bought this data on darknet markets and through encrypted chat apps like Telegram.
The men used these stolen identities to set up thousands of betting accounts. These accounts were meant to score sign-up bonuses, free wagers, and promo credits. Court papers hint they did not stop there. To get past identity checks, they signed up for online background-check services. This let them answer security questions when making new accounts.
Investigators say that while players could not cash out the bonus credits, they could withdraw any money won from bets made using those credits. Prosecutors think this method led to about $3 million in illegal profits.
Alleged Betting Scam Used Layered Transfers to Conceal Illegal Profits
After winning money, the funds went through virtual stored-value cards backed by insured banks. The cash then moved across several financial platforms before ending up in bank and investment accounts that the defendants controlled. Prosecutors believe this multi-step approach aimed to hide where the money came from and make it harder to track.
Federal authorities say that a gaming-related inquiry turned into a big identity theft investigation because of the many alleged victims across the country. Officials working on the case stress the major damage done to both consumers and banks, pointing out that finding and taking apart complex money trails was key to the investigation.
Kapoor and Lillaney were caught soon after a grand jury in New Haven issued an indictment on February 3, 2026. Both went before a US magistrate judge and got out on $300,000 bonds while they wait for more court proceedings.
If found guilty on all counts, the defendants might end up in prison for a long time, since many of the charges come with hefty maximum sentences, including back-to-back terms that must be served for aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors have also made it clear they plan to go after any money tied to the alleged scam.
It is worth remembering that in all federal cases, these are just accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
