In a sweeping federal indictment that connects the glitz of professional basketball to the shadowy world of organized crime, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier have been arrested for their alleged roles in massive illegal sports gambling and poker game rigging schemes.
The arrests are the most high-profile in a yearslong investigation that, as FBI Director Kash Patel put it, “envelops both the NBA and La Cosa Nostra,” the alliance of several mafia organizations.
“The fraud is mind-boggling,” Patel said, announcing that the probe didn’t just crack a scheme involving NBA figures, but also “executed a system of justice against La Cosa Nostra to include the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Luchese crime families”—New York’s infamous “Five Families.”
NBA Careers on Ice
Both Billups and Rozier have been placed on leave by the NBA, which stated it is taking the allegations “with the utmost seriousness.”
Chauncey Billups, a five-time All-Star, former NBA champion, and Hall of Famer, was charged in a separate indictment specifically alleging a scheme to rig underground poker games connected to the La Cosa Nostra crime families. Prosecutors have asked for “substantial bail conditions,” noting the coach’s significant financial resources from a career that earned him over $100 million.
Terry Rozier, arrested in Florida, is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme where he and other co-conspirators allegedly used and provided private insider NBA information—including details on player performance or game outcomes—in exchange for cash or a share of betting profits. Rozier was previously investigated by the NBA for unusual betting activity last year, but no violation was found at the time.
Former NBA assistant coach Damon Jones and several unnamed co-conspirators, including a former NBA player, were also charged. Former player Jontay Porter was named as an “other relevant individual” in the indictment.
The Mob Connection
The indictment explicitly names members and associates of four of the Five Families:
- Gambino Crime Family: Defendants Lee Fama, Joseph Lanni, and Angelo Ruggiero, Jr. were named as members of this notorious group, once headed by “The Teflon Don,” John Gotti.
- Bonanno Crime Family: At least three members or associates, including Ernest Aiello and Julius Ziliani, were implicated. Mafia members were allegedly part of “cheating teams” that used advanced wireless technologies to read cards and relay information during the rigged poker games.
- Genovese Crime Family: Matthew Daddino, also known as “Matty” and “The Wrestler,” was named as a member.
- Lucchese Crime Family: Seth Trustman was named as an associate.
The FBI’s extensive investigation paints a shocking picture of a sprawling criminal network where NBA insiders allegedly leveraged their access to team information for profit, while some of the nation’s most powerful mafia groups rigged high-stakes underground poker games, all leading to what authorities are calling a massive fraud on the grand stage of professional sports.
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