Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier spotted leaving court as NBA gambling scandal erupts coast to coast.NN
A bombshell illegal sports betting scheme involving four NBA teams and four Mafia crime families netted upwards of $7 million over two years, the FBI announced Thursday in a historic bust.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones are among those indicted in the stunning take down of two separate illegal gambling-related cases.
Thirty one people — including members of the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese mafia families, and coaches and players from the Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trial Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors — have been arrested in the scheme carried out between January 2022 and March 2024, officials said.
Chauncey Billups seen leaving court in Portland
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was seen leaving Portland’s federal courthouse late Wednesday afternoon.
Billups wore a brown hoodie with Klutch Sports Group, the agency that represents him, inscribed with white lettering.
The 49-year-old did not answer any questions from reporters outside the courthouse, only saying “right here, right here” to direct his representatives to the awaiting black SUV.
Billups hopped in the backseat and the car drove off.
The NBA champion was arrested on Thursday morning and charged in a pair of sweeping and “historic” federal gambling busts.
How mafiosos and NBA stars used rigged card shufflers, X-Ray tables and secret contact lenses in poker scam
NYC mobsters and former NBA players allegedly swindled high-rollers out of $7 million in a rigged poker scheme. They used high-tech contraptions and old-school tricks, including tampered shuffling machines and X-ray tables, to cheat victims. Over 30 individuals, including former NBA star Chauncey Billups, have been charged in connection with the scam that took place in multiple locations.
Pro poker player Saul Becher leaves Brooklyn federal court after arraignment
Professional poker player Saul Becher was seen in sweats and flip-flops leaving the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse following his indictment on Thursday.
Becher is among the 31 indicted for being allegedly connected to the NBA gambling scandal ring.
Sophia Wei leaves Brooklyn federal court following arraignment
Sophia “Pookie” Wei was spotted exiting Federal Court in Brooklyn after her arraignment on Thursday.
Wei, 40, was one of the 31 arrested for her alleged involvement in the federal gambling busts, which are tied to NBA players Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones.
Wei was previously identified in a 2019 picture at a card table alongside Billups, 49, and professional poker player Saul Becher, who was among the 31 indicted.
X-ray poker tables allegedly used by NYC mafia in NBA gambling scandal are readily available online
NYC mafiosos allegedly used readily available online “X-Ray poker table” technology to cheat victims out of millions in a years-long poker scheme. The scam involved rigged tables with LEDs, contact lenses, and barcode scanners to manipulate high-stakes games across various cities.
Heat guard Terry Rozier spotted leaving Florida court in shorts, sweatshirt after arrest for alleged involvement in NBA gambling scandal
Heat guard Terry Rozier was seen exiting via the back entrance following his arraignment in Orlando on Thursday.
Rozier, 31, is accused of tipping off mobsters that he was exiting a 2023 game early with injury, prompting them to bet over $200,000 on the Unders for his prop bets that game.
Chauncey Billups allegedly tipped off NBA gambling ring Trail Blazers planned to tank upcoming game: feds
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups allegedly leaked insider info to gamblers, identifying him as “co-conspirator 8” in federal court documents. This scheme involved tipping a betting ring about his team’s plan to tank a game against the Chicago Bulls.
Billups also faces charges in a separate scheme involving fixed poker games with the mob.
Reputed mobster ‘Tommy Juice,’ once charged with beating porn star girlfriend, arrested as part of NBA gambling bust
A reputed mobster, Thomas Gelardo, known as “Tommy Juice,” has been charged in an FBI investigation into a multi-million dollar rigged poker ring.
Gelardo allegedly acted as muscle, threatening victims to pay debts from fixed games that included former NBA players. He is one of 31 people charged in the scheme.
From son of a legendary Mafia capo named ‘Quack Quack’ to wiseguy poker pro: the mobsters charged in NBA gambling scandal
By Ben Kochman
Thirteen alleged mobsters, including the son of a Gambino captain and a Bonanno crime family member, have been implicated in a widespread gambling bust alongside NBA stars.
The arrests reveal a high-stakes operation involving rigged poker games and illicit proceeds benefiting various crime families. Key figures like Angelo Ruggiero Jr. and Ernest “Ernie” Aiello are among those accused.
Craig Carton says NBA is ‘gravely concerned’ after shocking gambling, poker arrests
Craig Carton is well aware of the NBA’s gambling worries.
The WFAN radio host revealed Thursday that the league recently brought him in to speak to players about the “dangers of gambling,” such as the alleged gambling and poker schemes purportedly involving Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones that shook the NBA and betting communities.
“I don’t think I have never mentioned this before but I know first hand that the NBA and the NBAPA are gravely concerned about gambling scandals like todays – They brought me in to speak at the recent rookie symposium to talk directly with every single rookie in the league to walk them through the dangers of gambling or associating with guys that are gambling,” Carton wrote on X.
The alleged $200,000 tip to Mafia that led to arrest of Terry Rozier
The sporting world was stunned Thursday when news broke that the FBI was charging Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazer head coach Chauncey Billups as part of a sweeping and “historic” federal gambling and rigged poker investigation that also implicates the Bonanno, Genovese, Lucchese and Gambino families.
Rozier, a 31-year-old NBA veteran from Youngstown, Ohio, is accused of tipping off the wise guys that he was going to leave a 2023 game early with an injury, which led to the defendants plunking down more than $200,000 on the Unders for his prop bets that night.
The FBI pointed to a game on March 23, 2023, while Rozier was a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Damon Jones’ staggering NBA salaries
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former guard Damon Jones all made eye-popping salaries during their respective NBA careers — making the estimated $7 million gambling scheme they’re charged in look like peanuts.
Billups, 49, who was inducted into the hall of fame in 2024, made $106,836,936 while playing over the course of his 17-year NBA career, according to Spotrac.
Rozier, 31, has made the most out of the three, with $160,484,983 in earnings across his 10-year career, the site reports.
Jones, 49, who spent the majority of his time in the NBA as a backup, made $21,738,907 in the 11 years he spent in the league, according to Basketball Reference.
