US authorities charge NBA figures in mafia-backed poker and betting fraud cases
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The news: More than 30 people, including a high-profile NBA coach and a current player, were arrested in the US over two criminal cases that authorities say involve illegal betting on basketball games and mafia-backed rigged poker events.
Prosecutors said Chauncey Billups, head coach of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, and former NBA player Damon Jones were among 31 defendants charged over a nationwide poker scheme that used hidden cheating technology to defraud players.
US attorney Joseph Nocella said at a press conference the games were backed by and with the permission of members of four New York organised crime families: Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese, all part of La Cosa Nostra, the Italian-American mafia.
The poker games were allegedly held in person at high-stakes underground venues across cities including New York, Las Vegas and Miami, with victims physically present at the tables, unaware the games were rigged using hidden cheating devices.
The indictment cited by The New York Times says the games were “on record” with, and run with, “the express permission and approval of, members and associates of certain organized crime families of La Cosa Nostra, who provided support and protection for the games and collected owed debts from the games in exchange for a portion of the illegal gambling proceeds.”
Authorities said victims were lured into the rigged poker games by the opportunity to play alongside former professional athletes like Billups. Unaware the games were fixed, they then lost millions to cheating technology including altered shuffling machines that could read the order of cards, hidden cameras built into tables and light fixtures, and specially designed contact lenses and sunglasses used to identify marked cards.
In a separate indictment, Terry Rozier, a player for the NBA’s Miami Heat, and five others were charged with using non-public information about player absences and injuries to profit from fraudulent bets between 2022 and 2024.
Authorities allege Rozier told associates he would leave a March 2023 game early, enabling more than USD200,000 ($306,910) in successful wagers. The NBA said both Rozier and Billups were placed on immediate leave while it reviews the charges.
The numbers: The FBI said the investigation uncovered “tens of millions of dollars” in fraud.
What they said: “This is the insider trading saga for the NBA. That’s what this is,” said FBI director Kash Patel.
“We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation.”
In a statement to the media, the NBA said: “We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
Rozier has denied wrongdoing through his lawyer, who said he is not a gambler and intends to fight the charges. Billups and Jones have not publicly commented.
The sources: The New York Times , CNN, Bloomberg
