An NBA player, a head coach, and several mafia associates are among dozens arrested in a sweeping FBI crackdown on illegal gambling, rigged poker games, and sports betting fraud that prosecutors described as one of the most brazen corruption schemes in modern sports.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, 31, and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were named in separate federal indictments unsealed Thursday. Rozier was charged with betting-related offences alongside five others, while Billups faces allegations connected to an elaborate poker game scam run with members of New York’s most notorious crime families.
Authorities said the two cases together exposed tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft uncovered during a multi-year investigation that spanned 11 US states. FBI Director Kash Patel called the arrests “extraordinary,” saying the investigation uncovered “a coordinated network of professional athletes, criminal organisations, and gamblers manipulating games and defrauding victims across the country.”
According to prosecutors, Rozier and several associates allegedly used insider information to place bets on NBA games, including one in which he reportedly faked an injury to influence betting outcomes. In a February 2023 matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, Rozier told a friend he would leave the game early with a sore foot. That associate and others then placed more than $200,000 in bets predicting Rozier would underperform. He exited the game after nine minutes, scoring only five points, earning the group tens of thousands in winnings.
Rozier’s attorney, James Trusty, denied the allegations, saying his client “is not a gambler but is not afraid of a fight” and would “win this fight.” He said Rozier had previously been cleared by the NBA of wrongdoing. The NBA announced both Rozier and Billups were placed on immediate leave pending the league’s own review, saying “the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
The second indictment names 31 defendants, including Billups, former NBA player Damon Jones, and 13 members or associates of the Bonanno, Genovese, and Gambino crime families. Prosecutors said the group organised a network of rigged high-stakes poker games involving athletes and wealthy guests in cities including Las Vegas, Miami, New York, and the Hamptons.
The games, prosecutors allege, were fixed using high-tech equipment such as X-ray poker tables, contact lenses, and special glasses that could read pre-marked cards. Victims were tricked into believing they were playing fair games with celebrities, only to be defrauded of millions of dollars. When some refused to pay their losses, organised crime enforcers used threats and intimidation to collect.
US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the combined cases reflect “one of the largest sports-related criminal conspiracies in decades.” The charges include robbery, wire fraud, extortion, illegal gambling, and bank fraud, with victims losing an estimated $7 million, including one who was defrauded of $1.8 million in a single game.
“This is only the tip of the iceberg,” said FBI Assistant Director Christopher Raia, vowing that federal authorities “will not allow organised crime or corruption to poison professional sports.”
Rozier was expected to appear in federal court in Orlando on Thursday, while Billups was arrested in Portland and will appear in court there. Both remain innocent until proven guilty.