In a massive, coordinated federal takedown, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed today that over 30 individuals have been arrested across 11 states in connection with two sprawling illegal gambling conspiracies. The probe targeted a network blending high-profile NBA figures and members of La Cosa Nostra (the Mafia), who allegedly generated tens of millions of dollars in illicit profits.
The mafia connection is specific and correct: according to prosecutors, the second of the two indictments focuses on a rigged, high-stakes poker ring, dubbed “Operation Royal Flush,” that was backed by associates of four major New York-based organized crime families—the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese clans. These Mafia affiliates allegedly financed, enforced, and took a cut of the proceeds from the rigged games, which operated in luxury locations like Las Vegas, Miami, and the Hamptons.
Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones were arrested for their alleged involvement in this poker scheme, where they reportedly served as “face cards” to lure unsuspecting players, or “fish,” into games fixed using sophisticated technology, including altered card-shuffling machines and X-ray tables.
In the separate, but related, illegal sports betting case, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Jones were charged with wire fraud conspiracy. They are accused of exploiting confidential insider information—such as a player’s intention to sit out a game due to a manufactured injury—to place profitable bets on NBA player performance.
Patel called the scheme “mind-boggling,” stating, “Not only did we crack into the fraud that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage of the NBA, but we also entered and executed a system of justice against La Cosa Nostra.”
Billups and Rozier have been placed on immediate leave by the NBA.
Discover more from The Pro News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.