An NBA player and coach are among dozens of people arrested as part of a sweeping FBI investigation into illegal sports betting and allegedly rigged, mafia-linked poker games.
Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were named by federal prosecutors in two separate indictments on Thursday.
Rozier, 31, is among six people arrested over alleged betting irregularities. They include NBA players accused of faking injuries to influence gambling markets.
Billups, a Hall of Fame player who has coached the Portland Trail Blazers since 2021, is one of 31 people charged in a separate illegal poker game case involving retired players and the mafia.
That case, which prosecutors said involved four of the five major crime families in New York, uncovered an alleged scheme to lure victims into playing rigged poker games alongside high-profile sports stars before stealing millions of dollars.
They did so using technology including special contact lenses and glasses that could read pre-marked cards and an X-ray table, according to authorities.
The NBA said in a statement that Rozier and Billups were being placed on immediate leave as it reviews the federal indictments.
We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority, it said.
Rozier's lawyer denied the allegations to CBS News, asserting, Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.
He appeared in federal court in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday and was released on bail after he put up his Florida home – valued at $6m (£4.5m) – as collateral, according to local media.
Billups was arrested in Portland, Oregon, and arraigned in court on Thursday, according to local media. He is expected to prepare a substantial bond for his release, too.
FBI Director Kash Patel held a news conference with other prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, where he called the arrests extraordinary and highlighted a co-ordinated takedown across 11 states.
„We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation,” he said. US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Nocella Jr, emphasized that all defendants are innocent until proven guilty, but warned: Your winning streak has ended. Your luck has run out.
Prosecutors say the first case involved players who allegedly used insider information to manipulate bets on major gambling platforms. Nocella called it one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized.
Seven NBA games between February 2023 and March 2024 have been identified as part of the case. Rozier is said to have been involved in one between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, prompting over $200,000 in bets that he would underperform and resulting in profits for those involved.
The second indictment involves 31 defendants accused of participating in a scheme to rig illegal poker games and steal millions of dollars with Mafia connections.
Authorities revealed that victims were preyed upon at poker games in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan, and the Hamptons, often losing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per game with the use of advanced cheating technology.
As the investigation progresses, the focus remains on the integrity of the games and the systemic corruption that has infiltrated both the sports and gambling communities.
