Insane Mafia-Linked NBA Gambling Scandal Erupts; Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier Arrested

Victims were promised the chance to gamble alongside NBA greats.

This article originally appeared on ZeroHedge and was republished with permission.

Guest post by Tyler Durden

What we know:

• Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones have been arrested

• The years-long investigation spanning 11 states has resulted in over 30 arrests

• The Bonnano, Gambino and Genovese organized crime families were allegedly involved as enforcers, taking a cut of the winnings

• There was an alleged robbery at gunpoint to obtain a rigged shuffling machine, along with extortions

• Defendants laundered their proceeds through cash exchanges, multiple shell companies, and cryptocurrency transfers

• Rozier allegedly manipulated betting results by leaving a game early

Over 30 people have been indicted after an FBI investigation uncovered an explosive gambling scandal rocking the NBA.

Legendary Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones were all arrested as part of the investigation into illegal gambling operations that included x-ray tables that read cards, special contact lenses, rigged shuffling machines and more - swindling people out of ‘tens of millions of dollars.’

Billups was charged in connection with an illegal poker operation tied to ‘la costa nostra,’ according to the FBI, while Rozier allegedly manipulated his performance during an NBA game to sway betting results.

According to the NY Post:

Rozier is one of the six defendants in the NBA-related investigation, each of whom was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, per Nocella.

His specific allegations tie back to a March 23, 2023 contest against the Pelicans when Rozier exited after playing the first 9:36 and did not return due to a foot issue in what would be his final tilt of the season.

He tallied five points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in that time, and one X user posted at the time how they allegedly had been tipped off that Rozier would exit early.

That knowledge would affect prop betting, where gamblers bet on a player’s statistics for a game.

An “unexpected” amount of bets came in on Rozier’s Under for that game, per ESPN, which resulted in some sportsbooks preventing further wagers on his prop lines.

The NBA investigated the issue and did not punish Rozier.

In a Thursday statement, the NBA announced that Rozier and Billups were being place on immediate leave.

“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

Riggers And The Mafia

According to US Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr., the scheme had deep mafia ties involving Billups going back to 2019, with defendants being accused of using wireless cheating technology in their rigged games in places including the Hamptons, Miami, Las Vegas and Manhattan. Members of the Bonnano, Gambino and Genevese organized crime families have been fingered in the indictment - taking a cut of the rigged games and enforcing the collection of debts.

Victims were promised the chance to gamble alongside NBA greats - with the former pro athletes known as ‘face cards’ while the victims were referred to as ‘fish,’ according to Nocella.

“What the victims, the fish, didn’t know, is that everybody else at the poker game, from the dealer to the players – including the face cards – were in on the scam,” said Nocella. “Once the game was underway, the defendants fleeced the victims out of tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars per game.”

How they pulled it off

According to the FBI, the alleged fraud included self-shuffling machines that had “been secretly altered in order to read the cards on the deck, predict which player on the table had the best poker hand, and relay the information to an offsite operator,” said Nocella, adding “The offsite operator sent the information via cell phone back to a co-conspirator at the table and that person at the table was known as the ‘quarterback.’ The ‘quarterback’ then signaled secretly the information he had received to others at the table and together they used that information in order to win their games and to cheat the victims.”

The scheme also allegedly used poker chip tray analyzers, special contact lenses or glasses that can read pre-marked cards, and an X-ray table that can read face down cards on the table.

“The fraud is mind-boggling. … We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-years investigation,” said FBI Director Kash Patel, while Nocella called the case involving Rozier “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States. This scheme is an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential information about National Basketball Association athletes and teams.”

Nocella said the indictment that led to the arrest of Billups, Jones and more than 30 people overall involved “a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games. These defendants ... used high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground poker games that were secretly fixed.”

Billups was arrested in Oregon on Thursday morning, one day after a season-opening loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Rozier was also arrested Thursday morning at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, where the Heat lost their season opener to the Magic. Rozier did not play in the game due to a coach’s decision. Billups, Rozier and Jones are expected to make a court appearance later Thursday, according to a Justice Department spokesperson. -USA Today

Meanwhile, the Post reports that former Pistons guard Malik Beasley came under investigation by a US District Attorney’s Office regarding allegations regarding gambling on games and prop betting, while a source told the outlet in August that he’s still a subject in a federal probe.

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