Mafia-Linked NBA Gambling Scandal Erupts
Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups Arrested Among Dozens Of Alleged Riggers
(ZeroHedge)
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
Terry Rozier (photo: Reggia Hildred, Immagn Images)
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.
New York FBI Assistant Director Christopher Raia says that Trail Blazers head coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was used by the Italian mafia to attract poker players who would then play rigged games with x-ray technology. pic.twitter.com/YQzZMQ6MoD
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 23, 2025
Trail Blazers coach Channcey Billups during the team’s 1st game on Wed. AP
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.
_________
Header featured image (edited) credit: NYPost article tease public card. Emphasis added by (TLB)
••••
••••
Stay tuned…
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Leave a Reply