Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, joined by New York State Police Superintendent Joseph A. D’Amico, yesterday announced that former jockey agent Manuel Gonzalez has been charged with illegally accessing the New York Racing Association’s (NYRA) computer system 170 times over a 15-month period by using the login and passwords of a NYRA employee whom he allegedly paid $100 a month for his online information.
District Attorney Brown said, “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 to secure horses for his jockey.”
The District Attorney identified the defendants as Manuel (a/k/a Mike) Gonzalez, 52, of 29 Wyandotte Avenue in Oceanport, New Jersey. Gonzalez was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on a criminal complaint charging him with 170 counts of computer trespass and 170 counts of second-degree tampering with a sports contest. If convicted, he faces up to four years in prison.
District Attorney Brown said that, according to the charges, the New York Racing Association maintains a computer system/database called InCompass which stores racetrack-related data, such as track conditions, thoroughbred statistics, thoroughbred health and injuries, thoroughbred availability and other restricted information. Access to the InCompass system is limited to only certain NYRA employees.
According to the charges, Gonzales paid a NYRA employee $100 a month to unlawfully use the employee’s login and password to access NYRA’s InCompass system on 170 different occasions between January 2, 2014, and April 1, 2015. Gonzalez allegedly used the InCompass system to review racing sheets and other data that provided him with information – including the track conditions, health and injuries of the racehorses and the identity of racehorses in need of a jockey – which he used to his own advantage to secure horses for his jockey.
The investigation, which is continuing, was conducted by the New York State Police.
It should be noted that a criminal complaint is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
SOURCE: Queens District Attorney’s Office