A fantasy football player admitted he made false allegations -- by claiming that a fellow competitor had made terroristic threats. September 20, 2024.
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images + © Liz Dufour/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Philadelphia, PA) – Fantasy football can be an expensive pursuit. Like anything associated with gambling, it comes with the potential for financial loss. But a fantasy player from Philadelphia is taking that to new heights (more like lows) after pleading guilty to a crime.
In connection to a 2023 incident, Matthew Gabriel of Philadelphia admits he made some false accusations. They could end up costing him $250,000. Gabriel is alleged to have told authorities that a fellow fantasy football player — one of his competitors — had made plans to shoot up a concert in Europe. That player had plans to study in Europe, so law enforcement took the allegations seriously. The claim was the player would look to shoot up “as many as they can,” at an event in Oslo, Norway.
Following up on that allegation, investigators in both the US and Norway spent what the DOJ calls “hundreds of man-hours” probing the situation. Eventually, Gabriel admitted he fabricated the whole thing. Apparently, investigators determined Gabriel sent similar warnings to the University of Iowa, claiming the same fellow player would “blow up the school.”
At sentencing in January, Gabriel faces significant fines as well as up to five-years in federal prison. He’s currently out on $25,000 bond. And as a reminder: it’s just fantasy. Don’t let it get carried away.
