Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier were among over 30 people arrested in a massive federal crackdown on two illegal gambling operations. The schemes involved rigging high-stakes poker games with Mafia ties and exploiting inside information about NBA players for sports betting, creating a significant scandal for the league.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, along with former NBA assistant coach Damon Jones and over 30 others, were arrested in a major federal operation targeting two sprawling gambling schemes. Billups is accused of participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games tied to La Cosa Nostra organized crime families, allegedly cheating gamblers out of at least $7 million. Rozier is charged in a separate scheme with exploiting private information about NBA players to win bets on games, sometimes involving players altering their performance or feigning injury to rig prop bets. The indictments, unsealed as the NBA season began, highlight vulnerabilities in the legal sports-betting industry. FBI Director Kash Patel described the fraud as 'mind boggling,' involving 'tens of millions of dollars.' Both Billups and Rozier face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges and have been placed on leave by the NBA, which is cooperating with authorities. Their attorneys have denied the allegations, with Billups' lawyer stating his client would not risk his Hall-of-Fame legacy for a card game, and Rozier's lawyer asserting his client is 'not a gambler.' The poker scheme allegedly used sophisticated cheating technology and shared proceeds with Gambino, Genovese, and Bonnano crime families, who also committed violent acts to ensure debt repayment. The sports betting scheme involved using confidential player injury status, including those of high-profile players like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Damian Lillard (who are not accused of wrongdoing), to place wagers. Rozier, while with the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, allegedly told conspirators he would leave a game early due to injury, allowing them to win tens of thousands of dollars on prop bets, an incident that had previously drawn public suspicion.
