ORLANDO, Fla. – The head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and a player for the Miami Heat were arrested Thursday along with more than 30 other people in two cases alleging sprawling criminal schemes to rake in millions by rigging sports bets and poker games involving Mafia families, authorities said.
Portland coach Chauncey Billups was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan and the Hamptons that were backed by La Cosa Nostra organized crime families. Heat guard Terry Rozier is accused in a separate scheme to concoct fraudulent bets by exploiting insider information about NBA athletes.
[MORE: Who are Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones?]
The two indictments unsealed in New York create a massive cloud for the NBA — which opened its season this week — and show how certain types of wagers arevulnerable to massive fraudin the growing, multibillion-dollarlegal sports-betting industry. Joseph Nocella, the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, called it “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”
“My message to the defendants who’ve been rounded up today is this: Your winning streak has ended,” Nocella said. “Your luck has run out.”
FILE – This photo combo shows from left, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. (AP Photo/File)
Both men face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges and were expected to make initial court appearances later Thursday. Also charged is former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones, who is accused of participating in both schemes.
“The fraud is mind boggling,” FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters. “We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation.”
The alleged fraud, however, paled in comparison to the riches the athletes earned on the court. Billups, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year, had about $106 million in career earnings over his 17-year career. Rozier made about $160 million in his stops in Boston, Miami and Charlotte.
Billups and Rozier have been placed on leave from their teams, according to the NBA, which said it is cooperating with authorities.
“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said in a statement.
Hours after his arrest, Rozier appeared in a federal court in Orlando, Florida, wearing a Charlotte Hornets sweatshirt, handcuffs and shackles. Billups appeared before a judge in Portland, Oregon. Both men were ordered released from custody on certain conditions. Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, declined to comment after the hearing.
Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, said in a statement that his client is “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.” Trusty criticized authorities for not allowing his client to surrender on his own and accused officials of wanting “the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk.”
Messages were left on Thursday at a phone number and email address listed in public records for Jones.
Mafia families profited off gambling scheme, officials say
The poker scheme lured unwitting players into rigged games with the chance to compete against former professional basketball players like Billups and Jones. The games were fixed using sophisticated cheating technology, such as altered card-shuffling machines, hidden cameras in poker chip trays, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table to read cards, authorities allege.
The scheme often made use of illegal poker games run by New York crime families that required them to share a portion of their proceeds with the Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families, according to court papers. Members of those families, in turn, also helped commit violent acts, including assault, extortion and robbery, to ensure repayment of debts and the continued success of the operation, officials said in court documents.
Athletes accused of leaving games early
In the sports betting scheme, Rozier and other defendants are accused of accessing private information from NBA players or coaches that could impact a player’s performance and giving that information to others so they could place wagers. Players sometimes altered their performance or took themselves out of games early to rig prop bets — a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistical number, such as whether the player will finish over or under a certain total of points, rebounds or assists, according to the indictment.
In one instance, Rozier, while playing for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, told people he was planning to leave the game early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars, authorities say. That game against the New Orleans Pelicans raised eyebrows at the time. Rozier played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, citing a foot issue. He did not play again that season.
Posts still online from March 23, 2023, show that some bettors were furious with sportsbooks that evening when it became evident that Rozier was not going to return to the game after the first quarter, with many turning to social media to say that something “shady” had happened regarding the prop bets involving his stats for that night.
The indictments contain the descriptions of several unnamed NBA players whose injury status and availability for certain games were the source of betting activity. Those players are not accused of any wrongdoing, and there is no indication that they would have even known what was being said about their status for those games.
Those players include LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard. Their identities are clear based on a review of corresponding injury reports surrounding games mentioned in the indictment. The indictments show that certain defendants shared information about the availability of those players in a game on March 24, 2023, involving the Portland Trail Blazers, and two games in 2023 and 2024 involving the Los Angeles Lakers.
The NBA had investigated Rozier previously. He was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida, in the season opener for both teams, though he did not play in the game.
The Orlando Magic has provided News 6 with the following statement:
We are aware of the alleged report. At this time, we have no indication that any current players were involved and we have not been contacted by the authorities. All members of the Magic organization complete mandatory NBA gambling education and compliance training each season. Integrity and adherence to league rules are of the utmost importance.
Orlando Magic
[WATCH: What are the rules on sports betting for professional league players and staff?]
Sports gambling: What pro and college athletes can and can’t do
Gambling has become common in professional sports, with every major league now partnered with a sports book. It’s no longer taboo, and the industry is booming thanks in large part to how easy it is to place a bet.
For athletes, though, the rules are strict. Several players across the NFL, NBA and MLB have faced warnings, suspensions, or all-out bans for breaking gambling policies. Here’s how the rules differ by league:
NBA
Players and team personnel are prohibited from betting on NBA or WNBA games. If sports betting is legal in their state, they’re allowed to wager on other sports. Sharing inside information or asking someone else to place a bet is also banned.
NFL
Players may bet on other sports but are not allowed to bet on the NFL. They also cannot place bets from team facilities or while traveling with their team. Coaches, trainers and officials are banned from all sports betting.
MLB
Players, staff and employees may bet on any sport except baseball. Betting on baseball results in a one-year suspension and betting on their own team can lead to a lifetime ban.
NCAA
College athletics are seeing monumental changes. Beginning Nov. 1, NCAA student-athletes and athletic department staff will be allowed to bet on professional sports only. Betting on college games remains prohibited.
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Durkin Richer reported from Washington, and Reynolds reported from Miami. Associated Press writers David Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland, and Larry Lage in Detroit contributed to this report.
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