Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are among more than 30 people indicted in connection with a scheme involving illegal sports betting and mafia-sponsored rigged poker games, authorities announced Thursday.
Rozier is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme that used the personal information of NBA insiders, officials said. Billups is accused in a separate indictment of orchestrating an extensive scheme to rig underground poker games with the help of Mafia families, authorities said.
The charges relate to two serious incidents, the first related to sports betting and the second related to rigged poker games.U.S. Atty. Joseph Nocera Jr. said this at a press conference with FBI Director Kash Patel. The first lawsuit charges six defendants with participating in an insider sports betting conspiracy that misused confidential information about NBA players and teams, Nocera said. He called it “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting was widely legalized in the United States.”
The second case involves 31 defendants in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games, Nocera said. He said the defendants include former professional athletes accused of using technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground New York-area poker games backed by Mafia families.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said sports betting has resulted in players altering their performances or leaving games early. Tisch said that while playing for the Hornets, Rozier told people he was leaving the game early with a “suspected injury,” allowing others to collect thousands of dollars in bets.
Rozier and his indictment say there are nine co-conspirators, including a Florida resident who was an NBA player, an Oregon resident who was an NBA player from 1997 to about 2014 and an NBA coach since at least 2021, and Rozier’s relatives.
Rozier and the other defendants “gained access to personal information known to NBA players and NBA coaches” that was likely to affect the outcome of games or player performance, and provided that information to other co-conspirators in exchange for flat fees or a portion of gambling profits, the indictment says.
The NBA had no immediate comment. The league previously investigated Rozier and is currently investigating the actions of former Detroit player Malik Beasley, one of the sources told The Associated Press.
Rozier was in uniform but did not play in the Heat’s season-opening game against the Magic in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday night. He was taken into custody in Orlando early Thursday. The team did not immediately comment on the arrest.
A message was left Thursday with Rosier’s attorney, Jim Trusty. Trusty previously told ESPN that Rozier met with NBA and FBI officials in 2023 and was told that an initial investigation determined he had done nothing wrong, the sports network reported.
A message seeking comment was left with Billups Thursday morning.
The case was brought by the federal prosecutor’s office in Brooklyn, which previously prosecuted former NBA player Jontay Porter. The former Toronto Raptors center has pleaded guilty to charges of withdrawing from games early, claiming illness or injury, in order to win large sums of money by betting on a performance that fell short of expectations by those with knowledge of the situation.
Billups was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year. A five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection, the point guard led the Detroit Pistons to their third league championship in 2004 as NBA Finals MVP. Boston drafted the former Colorado star with the third overall pick in 1997. The player known as Mr. Big Shot also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers. Billups won the NBA’s sportsmanship award, the Joe Dumars Trophy, in 2009 while playing for his hometown team, the Denver Nuggets.
Billups, 49, is in his fifth season as Portland’s coach and has a record of 117-212. The Trail Blazers opened their season Wednesday night with a 118-114 loss at home to Minnesota.
The game Rozier was involved in was a matchup between the Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans on March 23, 2023. Rozier only played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of that game, but not only did he not return that night, citing foot problems, but he also did not play again that season. It didn’t seem unusual for Rozier to be suspended for the final game of the season, as Charlotte had eight games remaining and was not in playoff contention.
In the March 23 game, Rozier had five points, four rebounds, and two assists in the opening half, which was a productive quarter but well below his usual totals for a full game.
According to a post that remains online on March 23, 2023, the night it was revealed that Rozier would not be returning to the Charlotte-New Orleans game after the first quarter, some bettors were furious at sportsbooks, and many turned to social media to claim that something “shady” had happened regarding prop bets involving his stats that night.
A prop is a type of bet that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistical number, such as over or under a certain total points, rebounds, assists, etc.
Darkin Richer, Reynolds and Marcello contributed to The Associated Press. Durkin Richer reported from Washington and Reynolds from Miami. Associated Press writers David Collins in Hartford, Conn., and Larry Rage in Detroit contributed. Go to this report.
