U.S. Federal authorities arrested over 30 individuals, including NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, in a sweeping investigation into illegal gambling operations tied to the NBA and organized crime.
The charges, announced Thursday, stem from two separate indictments involving insider sports betting and rigged poker games, implicating mafia families and generating tens of millions in illicit profits.
One indictment accuses Rozier and others of exploiting non-public NBA game information.
Authorities allege that in March 2023, Rozier informed associates he would exit a game early, citing injury, enabling them to place over $200,000 in prop bets on his underperformance, which paid out after he left after nine minutes.
The scheme involved wire fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling, with profits laundered through cryptocurrency and shell companies.
The second indictment targets a nationwide poker-rigging scheme involving Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones, among others.
Prosecutors say the operation, backed by the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese crime families, used sophisticated technology like rigged shufflers and x-ray tables to defraud players lured by the chance to play with celebrities.
The mafia enforced debt collection through extortion and violence, including a gunpoint robbery.
The NBA has placed Billups and Rozier on leave, emphasizing the integrity of the game.
Rozier’s lawyer, James Trusty, stated that prosecutors rely on unreliable sources and lack evidence.
The arrests highlight growing concerns about sports betting’s impact on professional leagues, prompting calls for tighter federal regulations.