The Mafia and NBA stars exploit $7 million in rigged poker games with X-ray tables and contact lenses that read marked cards
The scheme had three mafia families involved and former NBA stars to lure victims into rigged games.
NBA says they take the allegations against player Terry Rozier and coach Chauncey Billups "with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority." The basketball league sent a statement after the FBI arrested more than 30 people involved in two gambling and betting frauds yesterday, including Rozier, current player for Miami Heat, and Billups, NBA legend (2004 champion and MVP) currently manager for Portland Trail Blazers. Both have been place on immediate leave from their teams as they review the federal indictments, a statement from NBA said.
Rozier is involved in a scheme where he traded insider information to make a big profit on betting. According to FBI investigation, he faked an injury after telling his accomplices to bet on him underperforming in the match. He is not the only one involved, other former players like Jontay Porter or Damon Jones are also suspects of doing the same, where the players would told their connections what would happen in advance. Authorities investigate seven matches between March 2023 and March 2024.
"Special" contact lenses and X-ray tables to read cards
The other, separate case that involved Chauncey Billups is more bizarre, as it involves three of the five major mafia crime families in New York (three from the so-called "Five Families", the Bonannon, Genovese, and Gambino). The scheme involved popular former athletes, like Billups or Jones, luring victims into rigged poker games. It is believed they cheated up to $7 million this way.
Everyone involved in the games was aware of the scheme except for the victims, and other players used special contact lenses and glasses that read marked cards. Even an X-ray table, capable of reading cards when they were face-down, was used, according to the FBI investigation (via BBC).
And when the victims refused to pay because they were cheated (one of them lost $1.8 million), "these defendants did what organized crime has always done: they used threats, intimidation, and violence", said the New York City Police Commissioner.
The FBI assistant director in the New York office, Christopher Raia, said "this is only the tip of the iceberg", and that the FBI is working hard to ensure members of mafia families "cannot continue to wreak havoc in our communities".
