NBA star among 31 arrested in crackdown on mafia-backed illegal gambling scheme
An NBA star and coach have been charged in connection with what the FBI has called "one of the most brazen sports corruption” cases in US history.
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Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier, alongside 30 other people, is accused of taking part in the illicit sports betting ring, using private NBA information in the process.
Head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Chauncey Billups, has been charged in a separate indictment, accused of playing a central role in a wide-ranging scheme to rig illegal poker games run by the Mafia.
Speaking alongside FBI director Kash Patel on Thursday, US attorney Joseph Nocella Jnr said the charges relate to two separate cases, one involving mafia-backed poker games and the other an illicit sports betting ring.
In the first case, six defendants are accused of participating in an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential information about NBA athletes and teams, Mr Nocella said.
He branded it "one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalised in the United States".
The second case involves 31 defendants in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games, Mr Nocella said.
Among the defendants are former pro athletes accused of stealing millions from victims during underground poker games organised by the mafia families across the United States.
In the sports betting scheme, players sometimes altered their performance or took themselves out of games early, New York Police commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Rozier is alleged to have told others he would leave a game early with a fake injury, allowing them to place bets on him worth thousands of dollars.
The charges against Rozier and others say there are nine unnamed co-conspirators, including a Florida resident who was an NBA player and an Oregon resident who was an NBA player from about 1997 to 2014 and an NBA coach since at least 2021, as well as a relative of Rozier.
Rozier and other defendants "had access to private information known by NBA players or NBA coaches" that was likely to affect the outcome of games or players' performances and provided that information to other co-conspirators in exchange for either a flat fee or a share of betting profits, the indictment says.
The NBA has said it is cooperating with the investigation and plans to support US officials every step of the way.
Victims are believed to have lost around $7million as a result of the illegal schemes. Rozier was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic in Orlando, Florida, in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday evening, though he did not play in the game.
He was taken into custody in Orlando early Thursday morning.
The team did not immediately comment on the arrest.