A sprawling pair of indictments federal prosecutors announced Thursday in New York detailed allegations of illegal gambling that involved dozens of people in 11 states, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Prosecutors linked one of the alleged schemes — which involved rigged poker games and was dubbed “Operation Royal Flush” — to several of New York City’s organized crime families.
“One of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States” is how a federal prosecutor described the other alleged conspiracy.
Here’s what we know.
‘Operation Nothing But Bet’
In “Operation Nothing But Bet,” federal prosecutors accused six people, including Rozier, of exploiting confidential information about NBA players and teams, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. of the Eastern District of New York said at a news conference.
In one example, prosecutors accused Rozier — who at the time played for the Charlotte Hornets — of planning to prematurely remove himself from a 2023 game against the New Orleans Pelicans because of a supposed injury.
According to the indictment, Rozier provided that information to a friend, who sold the tip and gave others a chance to “place fraudulent wagers based on the non-public information.”
Rozier played only nine minutes and 34 seconds — and the bets raked in thousands of dollars, prosecutors allege.
Rozier was arrested Thursday on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the indictment. The NBA placed him on immediate leave.
Rozier’s attorney accused authorities of wanting to embarrass a professional athlete with a “perp walk” and said: “Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.”
Prosecutors also accused Damon Jones, a former NBA guard, of selling information about a prominent player’s injury while he was working as an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jones was arrested in Las Vegas on the same conspiracy charges as Rozier and on charges linked to the poker case. It was not immediately clear whether Jones has an attorney to speak on his behalf. Messages left at a phone number believed to belong to him were not returned.
‘Operation Royal Flush’
According to prosecutors, the defendants accused in “Operation Royal Flush” used a series of high-tech devices to rig poker games — an X-ray table that could read cards face down, electronic chip trays that secretly recorded cards with hidden cameras and playing cards with markers visible only to players wearing special contact lenses or sunglasses.
The scheme was allegedly used at “straight tables” from New York City to Las Vegas beginning in 2019, prosecutors said, and it was carried out with the support and protection of the Mafia, including the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese organized crime families.
Prosecutors identified Billups as a “Face Card” in the scheme — a high-profile figure used to attract gamblers — which they said raked in more than $7 million in six years.
Billups, who began coaching the Trail Blazers in 2021 after having played in the NBA for 17 years, made his initial appearance in federal district court in Portland on Thursday on charges of wire fraud and money laundering, court records show. He was released and ordered to appear in New York’s Eastern District, where the charges were filed, on Nov. 24.
The NBA placed him on immediate leave. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What do the teams and the NBA say?
In a statement Thursday, the NBA said that it is reviewing the indictments and that Rozier and Billups were placed on immediate leave.
“We will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities,” the league said. “We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
The Trail Blazers said they are fully cooperating with the investigation. An assistant, Tiago Splitter, was named interim head coach, the team said in a statement.
The Miami Heat did not respond to a request for comment.
