FBI Arrests NBA Coach, Player in Mafia-Led Multistate Gambling Scheme

Federal authorities have arrested NBA's Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, and former player Damon Jones in a sweeping investigation involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games linked to four major New York Mafia families. The indictments reveal a sophisticated scheme dating back to at least 2019, where high-stakes poker games were rigged using advanced technology to cheat wealthy participants, generating over $7 million in illicit profits. Billups is alleged to have used his NBA status to help lure victims and was implicated in sharing confidential team information to influence betting outcomes, while Rozier is accused of manipulating prop bets by feigning injury during games. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the scale of the fraud as unprecedented, highlighting that the operation funneled millions to organized crime groups including the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families. Former mobster Michael Franzese attributed the scandal to the NBA's partnerships with gambling platforms, which he said implicitly encourage gambling among players and coaches, increasing the risk of criminal involvement. The arrests have intensified calls for Congress to establish more uniform regulations on sports betting to prevent such corruption in professional sports.