U.S. sports handicapper charged with bilking millions from client

By Brendan O'Brien MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A U.S. sports handicapper was arrested on Tuesday and charged with threatening a client in Wisconsin at gunpoint and bilking more than $25 million from him through an elaborate scheme involving use of his alter ego, federal prosecutors said. Adam Meyer of Real Money Sports, who calls himself the "sports consultant to the stars" was charged in U.S. District Court in eastern Wisconsin with three counts of wire fraud, extortion, racketeering and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said Meyer was arrested in Florida on Tuesday. He faces life in prison if convicted on all charges. Attempts to reach his attorney were unsuccessful. Meyer, based in the Fort Lauderdale area, appears regularly on radio and television sports shows and charges clients up to $250,000 for sports betting advice, the indictment said. In 2007, the unidentified victim began buying sports betting advice from Meyer, who told him to place his wagers through third-party offshore bookmakers, who were actually Meyer's associates, the indictment said. In August 2008, the victim wired $1.2 million into two accounts in Florida after Meyer told the man he needed to cover his gambling losses, according to the charges. Meyer then told the man a bookie was threatening Meyer's life if the victim did not pay a large gambling debt, the indictment said. Meyer also told the man that the bookie believed they were partners and therefore equally responsible for the debt. Meyer then said a person named "Kent Wong" was attempting to collect the debt, the indictment said. Investigators learned that "Kent Wong" was actually Meyer's alter ego, court papers said. From July 2009 to December 2011, Meyer adopted the "Wong" persona and called the victim and threatened his family to extract payments, according to the indictment. The victim responded by wiring millions of dollars into accounts Meyer controlled, court documents said. After the man refused to pay more, Meyer and an associate flew to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in April 2012 to meet with him. During the meeting, Meyer's associate pointed a gun at him and demanded the victim pay a gambling debt, the indictment said. The man wired Meyer $9.8 million over the next eight days, according to the indictment. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Peter Cooney)