Two Men Indicted for Defrauding Sports Fans

United States Attorney Laura E. Duffy today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging two individuals, twin brothers Anthony Donald Casias and Leopold Ronald Casias, Jr., for their scheme to defraud local sports fans through their company L&T Sports Events Inc. The defendants were arrested yesterday by special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the charging documents, 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. 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 indictment alleges that fans were stranded 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. 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 defendants will next appear before Judge John A. Houston on January 14, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. to set future dates for motions and a trial.

If you are a victim of L&T Sports, you may contact the San Diego FBI at (858) 565-1255.

An indictment itself is not evidence that the defendants committed the crimes charged. The defendants are presumed innocent until the Government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Defendants in Criminal Case No. 12CR4966-JAH
Anthony “Tony” Donald Casias
Leopold Ronald Casias, Jr.

Summary of Charges
Count one: Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349—conspiracy to commit wire fraud
Maximum penalties: 20 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, $100 special assessment, three years of supervised release, mandatory restitution to victims.

Counts two through ten: Title 18, United States Code, Section 1341—mail fraud
Maximum penalties: 20 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, $100 special assessment, three years of supervised release, mandatory restitution to victims.

Investigating Agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation