A 23-year-old gambler who was charged by a U.S. Attorney in Florida with threatening athletes, including Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, with acts of violence, could face up to five years in prison.
Ben “Parlay” Patz used a number of Instagram accounts to send messages to the Patriots players, in addition to MLB players, college athletes, and their families. According to the Action Network, Patz, a California native who was later a student at St. John’s and Columbia, earned more than $1.1 million in less than two months in his rise to gambling fame.