Costa Rica - William Sean Creighton Kopko, 43, American, kidnapped, San José, 24 Sep 2018 *Arrests*

[cybervampira]

Police in Costa Rica, Spain arrest kidnappers of American

Police in Costa Rica and Spain say they have arrested 12 people alleged to have been involved in the kidnapping of a missing American in Costa Rica.

Police from both countries say that the joint operation led to the arrests of the Costa Rican suspects on Friday.

William Sean Creighton Kopko, an American businessman, was kidnapped in Costa Rica on Sept. 24, 2018. Costa Rican authorities say that the victim is still missing.

Police say that the victim’s family paid the kidnappers $950,800 in bitcoins.

Tony's Porsche Cayenne was found in Heredia. It had been crashed.

The three people arrested in Zaragoza, Spain, are considered by police to be the ringleaders. They fled Costa Rica after the victim’s family paid the ransom, spending some time in Cuba before traveling to Spain.

Tony owned 5Dimes, a Costa Rica based company that specializes in online gambling, according to Calvin Ayre.

Arrests made in Costa Rican kidnapping of American

Costa Rica and Spain police detain 12 people involved in the kidnapping of an American businessman | Daily Mail Online

Over $1 million bitcoin ransom paid, kidnapped businessman still missing despite arrests

Operación Kopko: España y Costa Rica desarticulan una organización criminal

 

[cybervampira]

Suspected Kidnappers Arrested in ‘5Dimes Tony’ Case, But Sportsbook Owner Still Missing - Casino.org

[...]

According to local media reports, on the night of September 24, Creighton’s Porsche Cayman Turbo was forced off the road by two gunmen in a BMW and two more on motorcycles.

Creighton’s abductors telephoned his wife the following day, demanding a ransom of $950,800 in bitcoin and threatening to kill their captive unless it was paid.

She was permitted to speak to Creighton, who told her he was OK, but after paying the ransom she heard nothing more from the kidnappers. Creighton’s family reportedly turned to private investigators before alerting police.

[...]

A former professional gambler who once said he “lives for gaming,” Creighton is an online sports betting pioneer who launched 5Dimes in 1998, at a time when the legality of offering online sports wagering to Americans was still a gray area.

But a crackdown by federal authorities in the mid-2000s helped clarify the matter, including the 2006 arrest of BetOnSports CEO David Carruthers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as he awaited a flight to his home in Costa Rica. 5Dimes remains an unlicensed gambling site offering bets to Americans in violation of US law, albeit one of the biggest.

In 2016, the feds accused the company of laundering $2 million by encouraging its customers to make and accept deposits and withdrawals using Amazon gift cards, thus side-stepping the federal ban on financial institutions processing online gambling transactions for US residents.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Costa Rican authorities say that the victim is still missing.

Police say that the victim's family paid the kidnappers $950,800 in bitcoins.

The three people arrested in Zaragoza, Spain, are considered by police to be the ringleaders. They fled Costa Rica after the victim's family paid the ransom, spending some time in Cuba before traveling to Spain.

Costa Rican police arrested another nine individuals.

Police in Costa Rica, Spain arrest kidnappers of American

 

[loraball]

Looks like he may have been "found".

The Body of US Expat and Sportsbook Owner "5Dimes Tony" Found in Costa Rica - Costa Rica Star News

 

[JerseyGirl]

Looks like he may have been "found".

The Body of US Expat and Sportsbook Owner "5Dimes Tony" Found in Costa Rica - Costa Rica Star News

*** Despite our best efforts with this very sad and confusing case The Costa Rica Star has NOT yet received any confirmation from a public official that Creighton’s body has been found and identified***

 

[cybervampira]

Victim Still Missing: Kidnappers Arrested After Receiving Nearly $1 Million Bitcoin Ransom

[...]

Among the twelve apprehended Costa Ricans, a 25-year-old man has been identified as the mastermind behind the crime. Morales Vega along, with his 45-year-old mother and girlfriend were captured by the Spanish Guardia Civil in Zaragoza late last week, after information from Cuban authorities helped to track the fleeing criminals as they tried to get away overseas. It has been alleged that police were able to find evidence of the stolen $950,800 Bitcoin ransom that Creighton’s Wife had paid the kidnappers prior to the arrests, out of the $5 million initially demanded by the kidnappers. When Creighton’s Wife was unable to pay off the rest of the ransom, the kidnappers severed all communications.

[...]

 

[cybervampira]

WV MetroNews – 11 people on two continents arrested in missing person’s case of Bridgeport man living in Costa Rica

Two additional suspects have been arrested in the bizarre case of a missing West Virginia man who lives in Costa Rica.

William Sean “Tony” Creighton, 43, has been missing since Sept. 24, 2018. Police have arrested at least 11 people in connection with the disappearance, but are no closer to finding him, according to a report earlier this week on Good Morning America.

[...]

Suspects have been arrested in Costa Rica and Spain. Authorities are suggesting two police officers in Costa Rica may have been in on the scheme.

[...]

Creighton initially went missing after being pulled over by police in Costa Rica. Authorities believe, according to the reporting by national outlets, that police were in on the scheme to kidnap Creighton and then stage a car accident.

[...]

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The founder of online sports betting operator 5Dimes has been found dead in a Costa Rican cemetery one year after he went missing in an apparent kidnapping plot.

On Monday, ESPN quoted Costa Rican authorities saying that the body of 5Dimes founder William Sean ‘Tony’ Creighton had been discovered last week in a cemetery in Quepos, a small town on the country’s Pacific coast. The US Department of State subsequently confirmed the announcement of Costa Rica’s Judiciary Investigative Police (OIJ). A cause of death has yet to be determined.

The 43-year-old Creighton (pictured) was initially reported missing in September 2018 under mysterious circumstances, leading to rampant speculation that he’d either been kidnapped for ransom or had staged his own disappearance for unexplained reasons. 5Dimes was compelled to issue a statement saying it was business as usual to calm the panic that erupted among the betting operator’s customer base.
Costa Rica authorities confirm finding body of '5Dimes Tony' - CalvinAyre.com

 

[GraceG]

Unfortunately, most kidnapping victims in Central America are not found alive. My husband's company (30,000 employees worldwide) will not send non-Hispanic, non-Spanish speaking executives or engineers to that part of the world. They are just a target.

 

[crhedBngr]

Ugh, nasty situation.

Glad there are arrests. I hope and pray SCK is found and is okay.

There is always hope.