Smith, Bryan, Freelance NYDN Former jockey agent Manuel Gonzalez paid a NYRA employee (not pictured) $100 a month for access to a computer system that allowed him to see information on horses and track conditions.
A former jockey agent is facing a daily double of criminal trouble.
Manuel Gonzalez was busted after paying $100 a month for illegal access to insider information on a New York Racing Authority computer system, the Queens district attorney announced Tuesday.
Gonzalez, 52, of Oceanport, N.J., paid a NYRA employee for the worker's login and password between January 2014-April 2015, using information to get the inside track on good mounts for his riders, officials charged.
"The defendant is accused of 'hacking' into the Racing Association's computer system and illegally trolling for valuable racetrack-related data that he could use to his own advantage," said Queens DA Richard A. Brown.
Robert Sabo/New York Daily News[1] The info was used by Gonzalez to get his riders on better horses, increasing their chances of winning, which would in turn increase the amount of money he stood to make.
Authorities say Gonzalez didn't use the info at the betting window — opting instead to employ the inside dope to land quality rides for his jockeys.
The agents collect a percentage of the jockey's winnings, so landing good horses would benefit Gonzalez's bottom line.
According to officials, Gonzalez used the employee's information 170 times to access details on track conditions, the health and injuries of horses, and the identities of horses needing jockeys.
Uncredited/ASSOCIATED PRESS Gonzalez used the site for 170 times to access details on track conditions, the health and injuries of horses, and the identities of horses needing jockeys.
The investigation into the NYRA employee was continuing, said a Brown spokesman. Gonzalez was allegedly hacking into a private NYRA system/database known as InCompass.
Gonzalez, who faces up to four year in prison if convicted, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on 170 counts of computer trespass and 170 counts of tampering with a sports contest.
References
- ^ Robert Sabo/New York Daily News (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ lmcshane@nydailynews.com (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ horse racing (www.nydailynews.com)
- ^ hackers (www.nydailynews.com)
