HISA Charges Handicapper Marshall Gramm With Fraud Over Data Breach
The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has charged Marshall Gramm with multiple rule violations, including fraud, after an investigation found he had accessed confidential horse health information without authorization over a six-week window between early May and mid-June.
HISA said a comprehensive review, involving both internal staff and third-party investigators, included an independent forensic cybersecurity analysis conducted by Arete.
The results, HISA said, unanimously pointed to Gramm being solely responsible for accessing confidential horse health information at scale, using an automated method designed to mimic authorized activity in order to avoid detection by HISA's security systems.
What HISA Alleges
HISA said Gramm used the resulting data to create past-performance profiles for horses he had no legitimate connection to, sharing them on social media, while also taking part in handicapping contests, pari-mutuel wagering and claiming several covered horses across multiple jurisdictions and racetracks during the same period.
When confronted with the investigation's findings, HISA said Gramm admitted he was the source of the past-performance profiles for two named horses, Deterministic and Griffin's Wharf.
The Lexington, Kentucky-based body that oversees anti-doping and safety standards in US horse racing said it will seek restitution of any proceeds Gramm derived from the activity during the relevant period and will evaluate further action beyond its internal enforcement process.
Why It Matters
HISA described the harm caused to the thoroughbred racing community as significant.
The case is among the authority's most serious data-security enforcement actions to date, and comes as the sport continues to face scrutiny over unauthorized access to health records used in wagering-adjacent handicapping products.
Investigators said the horses whose confidential health information was accessed spanned multiple jurisdictions and racetracks, and that Gramm's activity during the same six-week window included entering handicapping contests and placing pari-mutuel wagers, raising the possibility that some of his gains came directly from wagering activity connected to the misappropriated data.
Confirming The Admission
HISA said Gramm's admission came only after investigators presented him with the findings of both the internal review and Arete's independent forensic analysis, rather than the case resting on a voluntary disclosure, reinforcing the authority's account of a deliberate, sustained effort to access data he was not authorized to see.
The action against Gramm proceeds separately from any criminal referral, and the authority said it will continue evaluating what further steps, including pursuing restitution, are appropriate once its internal case against him concludes.
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