A Maryland resident, Aaron John Sasser, is facing federal charges after allegedly making graphic death threats against the leadership of PrizePicks.
The threats, delivered via the operator’s online customer service chat, were reportedly triggered by Sasser’s inability to access $50 within his account, according to an FBI affidavit.
Detailed Violent Threats
The affidavit reveals a chilling 24-minute chat session on April 3, during which Sasser specifically targeted CEO Mike Ybarra, founder Adam Wexler, and CTO Jay Deuskar. Sasser’s messages included violent threats against the executives’ families and were punctuated with antisemitic rhetoric.
“…if my $50 doesn’t end up back in my bank account before 5pm today, I’m going to drive down to Atlanta, Georgia and kill everyone in the PrizePicks office,” Sasser allegedly wrote.
PrizePicks immediately handed over Sasser’s digital records, including his driver’s license and email address, to the FBI’s Atlanta field office.
The incident has drawn attention to the security vulnerabilities of gaming operators. Matthew Wein, a former DHS official, noted in his Secure Stakes column that these are the “exact types of threats” that sportsbooks and DFS apps are currently under-prepared to handle.
Strict Judicial Constraints
The Maryland resident was released into his father’s custody on April 10 under rigorous conditions. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia has ordered Sasser to 24-hour home confinement and a total ban on all forms of gambling.
Crucially, the court has also barred him from using social media or accessing any website that utilizes a real-time customer service chat function. This case highlights the increasing friction between operators and volatile users, coming on the heels of several lawmakers calling for wagers to be restricted to curb threats against athletes and staff.
