A broad FBI investigation into illicit sports betting and rigged, mafia-affiliated poker games has resulted in the arrest of scores of people, including an NBA player and coach. Federal prosecutors identified Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat and Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, in two separate indictments on Thursday.
Along with other NBA players who may have fabricated ailments to manipulate gambling markets, Rozier, 31, is one of six individuals detained for suspected betting irregularities. One of 31 defendants in a different case involving illicit poker games involving retired players and the mafia is Billups, a Hall of Fame player who has been the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers since 2021.
The alleged conspiracy to entice victims to play rigged poker games with prominent sports personalities before stealing millions of dollars was discovered in that case, which authorities said involved four of New York’s five main crime families.
According to investigators, they used technology such as X-ray tables and special contact lenses and eyewear that could scan pre-marked cards. As the NBA examines the federal indictments, Rozier and Billups will be placed on immediate leave, the league announced in a statement.
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