Ex-Comcast Exec Given Four Year Sentence for $650,000 Sportsbetting Fund Scam

A former Comcast executive from Pennsylvania has been sentenced to 48 months in prison for stealing $650K from at least 12 investors in his bogus sports betting fund, some of whom were friends.

Elijah “Eli” Goshert was an executive director of supply chain at Comcast Business, according to his LinkedIn page, where he describes himself as someone with “a track record of building relationships and delivering results.”

He certainly exhibited an aptitude for the former, but not so much the latter. Goshert pleaded guilty in a Missouri federal court in October 2024 to three counts of wire fraud in connection to his sports betting syndicate, Magellan Sports Fund. He charmed investors into joining the syndicate with no results whatsoever, according to court documents.

‘Sophisticated Algorithm’

Goshert claimed that he had developed a “sophisticated computer algorithm” that substantially reduced the risks associated with sports betting. This was a false representation, according to the indictment, and it’s unclear from court documents whether any bets were placed at all.

Defendant took the financial investments provided to him by Magellan investors and spent the vast majority of those funds on his own personal expenses, including on Disney vacations, private school tuition, and mortgage payments for his home,” according to prosecutors.

Goshert regularly sent “false and fraudulent emails” to his victims claiming that he used their financial investments to place nonexistent sports bets. These included fictitious “investors performance” updates, which represented victims’ also nonexistent “substantial profits.”

One victim testified in a letter to the court that he spent $20K on legal fees trying to recoup his $60K investment. Another said he had experienced severe emotional and psychological damage from the betrayal of trust by Goshert, someone he had considered a close friend.

‘Loathsome’ Scam

The victim was repeatedly lied to about why he couldn’t access his $50K investment. Goshert even told his friend he couldn’t release the money because he had sold the betting fund to a private equity firm.

Assistant US Attorney Derek Wiseman told the court that Goshert’s crime was “a yearslong sophisticated scheme” rather than a “one-off lapse in judgment.”

“Scamming people who trust you is especially loathsome,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division in a statement after sentencing. “Unfortunately, the way Elijah Goshert targeted his victims is not unique. When white-collar criminals exploit the trust that already exists within their social circles, it’s known as affinity fraud.”