FBI Busts NBA-Mafia Gambling Ring, Arrests Coach Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier

The FBI’s latest takedown reads like a Hollywood crime thriller, but it’s all too real: a sprawling gambling ring tied to La Cosa Nostra, with NBA stars and coaches caught in the crosshairs.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced Thursday the arrest of 31 individuals across 11 states, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.

The charges? Wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery, and illegal gambling, all linked to a high-tech poker scam and an NBA betting scheme.

"The fraud is mind-boggling," Patel said in a Thursday press conference. "We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation."

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The poker operation, backed by the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese crime families, used X-ray tables, rigged shuffling machines, and special contact lenses to cheat players out of millions.

"They used off-the-shelf shuffling machines that had been secretly altered to read the cards in the deck, predict which player at the table had the best poker hand, and relay that information to an off-site operator," said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella. "Defendants used other cheating technologies, such as poker chip tray analyzers — a poker chip tray that secretly read cards using a hidden camera—special contact lenses or glasses that could read pre-marked cards, and an X-ray table that could read cards face down on the table."

On the basketball court, the scandal cuts deeper.

Rozier allegedly faked an injury to rig bets, cashing in on insider info.

NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch detailed the scheme, warning, "Terry Rozier, an NBA player now with the Miami Heat, but at the time playing for the Hornets, allegedly let others close to him know that he planned to leave the game early with a supposed injury. Using that information, members of the group placed more than $200,000 in wagers on his under statistics."

"Rozier exited the game after just nine minutes, and those bets paid out, generating tens of thousands of dollars in profit," Tisch continued.

Former NBA player Damon Jones also faces charges, accused of leaking non-public info, like LeBron James’ absence in a 2023 Lakers game, for betting profits.

The NBA, reeling from the arrests, placed Billups and Rozier on immediate leave, stating, "We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness and the integrity of our game remains our top priority."

Patel acknowledged the backlash: "It’s not popular to go after some of the defendants that we went after today, but justice is served blindly."

Former federal prosecutor Mitchell Epner warned, “If prosecutors can prove that current or former NBA players and coaches knowingly participated, they face prison terms likely measured in years, possibly decades."

The NBA’s cozy ties with sportsbooks like FanDuel and BetMGM now look like a deal with the devil.

The Mafia’s grip on America’s pastime proves one thing: when money and power collide, no one’s hands stay clean.