The Chronicle Telegram in Elyria, Ohio

Gambling touts lure with a jockey misidentity scam

A 1944 wire tap transcript reveals Herbert Bagur, a former jockey identified as Herb Lindberg, plotting long distance bets from New York to Detroit and Chicago. He posed as star jockeys to lure wealthy and small bettors into a high pressure telephonic con game run from an apartment. The scheme targeted gamblers while a legislator client supposedly helped press the anti gambling cause, showing the depth of moral compromise in racing circles and the ease with which con artists exploit trust.