Billups, Rozier, Damon Jones Charged in Gambling Schemes

Federal authorities arrested more than 30 people in two federal indictments that include Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player Damon Jones, alleging a Mafia-linked rigged poker operation and a separate illegal sports-betting ring involving NBA insiders. Prosecutors say the sports-betting case alleges players and associates exploited confidential insider information and at times faked or exaggerated injuries to influence prop bets, and the poker case—linked to La Cosa Nostra—ran high-stakes rigged games using sophisticated cheating technology such as altered shuffling machines, special contact lenses, X‑ray tables and hidden cameras. Officials said victims were lured to games in the Hamptons, Las Vegas, Miami and Manhattan and estimated losses ranged in the millions, with some figures reaching into the tens of millions, calling the fraud “mind‑boggling.” Billups and Rozier face money‑laundering and wire‑fraud conspiracy charges; arrests and indictments are ongoing and could carry major legal and reputational consequences for those involved. The arrests came during NBA opening week, intensifying concerns about the league’s relationship with legalized gambling and potential spillover into other professional and college sports.