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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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SoCal Sports Business|Was a Fraud, FBI Says

SAN DIEGO (CN) - Sixty-two-year-old twin brothers were arrested in San Diego, accused of defrauding sports fans and leaving them stranded on out-of-town trips.

The FBI arrested Anthony and Leopold Casias, both of San Diego, on a nine counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

They are accused of defrauding sports fans through their company L&T Sports Events.

"Clients of L&T Sports paid in advance for travel, lodging, transportation, and game tickets to out-of-town sporting events, such as a New York Giants home game or a football game at Notre Dame," prosecutors said in a statement. "The brothers told customers that they would purchase specific flights, game tickets, and hotel accommodations for them for a set amount of money. Once the clients paid the advance fees in reliance on the brothers' statements, the defendants failed to provide nearly all of the services contracted for, and paid for, by the clients. Instead, they diverted the payments to their own personal or business expenses."

The brothers stranded fans in Oakland, Chicago and Hoboken, "without game tickets, a hotel room, and, in at least one case, a valid return trip home to San Diego," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. "While the clients were at the out-of-town location, the Casias brothers instructed them to pay a second time for tickets to the game that they had traveled there to see and for other supposedly pre-paid services. Clients frequently did so based upon false promises by the Casiases to reimburse their clients. Once the clients returned to San Diego, the defendants avoided clients' phone calls and failed to refund clients. On one occasion, the defendants used one individual's credit card to pay for another L&T Sports client's trip to Hawaii."

The twins were ordered to appear in court on Jan. 14, 2013.

Victims of L&T Sports should call the FBI in San Diego at (858) 565-1255.

If convicted, the brothers face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 20 years for mail fraud, plus fines of up to $250,000 for each offense, and restitution.

The U.S. Attorney's Office did not state how much the brothers are accused of swiping. Their full names are Antony Donald Casias and Leopold Ronald Casias Jr.

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