An NBA head coach and player were arrested early Thursday morning as part of an FBI probe into “sports rigging” and fixed poker games tied to underworld figures.
The arrests include more than 30 people including Portland Trailblazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier.
FBI officials said the arrests were part of two fraud-related investigations, one for sports betting, and another for “rigged poker games.”
“The charges and arrests that were taken down across this country range from wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery, and illegal gambling,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “This FBI will leave no room for any perpetrating of crime across this country.”
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella described the poker-related arrests as part of a nationwide scheme using “high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground poker games that were secretly fixed.”
“Your winning streak has ended,” Nocella said. “Your luck has run out. Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can bet on that.”
Operation Royal Flush Involves Mafia
According to investigators, the underground poker games in the New York area had been backed by the Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese, and Genovese crime families.
“This alleged illegal gambling operation hustled unwitting victims out of tens of millions of dollars, and created a financial pipeline for La Cosa Nostra to help fund and facilitate their organized criminal activity,” FBI New York Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia said.
Investigators allege that the game organizers used chip tray analyzers and a table that could read cards face down on the table. Professional athletes were allegedly used to lure players to the games.
“Once the game was underway, the defendants fleeced the victims out of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per game,” Nocella said. Those involved allegedly “committed acts of violence” including extortion to make sure players paid up any bets.
Special agent in charge of New York Homeland Security Investigations Ricky Patel said players were cheated out of at least $7 million as part of the scheme. The investigation into the poker cheating was named “Operation Royal Flush.”
Billups, who became coach in 2021, spent most of his playing career with the Detroit Pistons where he won a championship and was voted 2004 NBA Finals MVP. The five-time All-Star was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024. He was arrested in Oregon and is alleged to have been part of the poker-rigging scheme.
Sports Betting Schemes
Rozier, a 10-year veteran in the league, has been suspected for months of being involved in an illegal sports betting operation. The former Charlotte Hornet and Boston Celtic was taken into custody Thursday morning in Orlando, Florida. The FBI alleges that he and others arrested “had access to private information known by NBA players or NBA coaches” that was used to help rig games in exchange for either a fee or share of betting profits.
FBI officials indicated that Rozier’s case was also connected to the betting scheme uncovered in March 2024 involving Jontay Porter. The Toronto Raptors forward was later banned for life by the NBA. He eventually pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of the bet fixing scheme.
In total, 34 people were arrested as part of the investigations that spanned 11 states. Of those, six suspects are alleged to have been part of the sports betting case, with 31 allegedly involved in the poker scheme.
Former NBA journeyman and Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones was also arrested and has been implicated in both investigations.
Poker Cheating Concerns
The poker-related charges may further concern high-stakes pros, who were put on high alert earlier this month after a report from Wired showed vulnerabilities with automatic card shuffler machines. The reporter hacked the shuffler code with the help of an expert and was able to not only view the cards, but also manipulate the way they are ordered.
High-stakes pro and cardroom owner Doug Polk advised players to stay away from any private games that utilize the automatic shufflers, but said that the vast majority of casino-operated shufflers should be safe.
But technology has allowed brick-and-mortar cheating to go beyond the shuffler. In August 2024, two men were arrested in France for a similar scheme and charged with fraud. The suspects allegedly used tiny cameras hidden in their cell phones to track which cards were being dealt. As they played, casino staff said they always seemed to know which cards opponents held.
The cheating method allegedly involved one player placing his cell phone on the table during blackjack and poker games, allowing for low-angle photos of the card faces as they were dealt. The second player also had a cell phone taped to his stomach, recording images of the cards via tiny holes in his shirt, according to police.
Investigators said the pair also used microscopic earpieces that were so small, they could only be removed using a magnet. The images were then relayed to cohorts away from the casino, who could then tell the two players which cards were being dealt.
In light of the Chauncey Billups arrest, we’ll just leave this here. (Ep. 277 8/21/23). @PatMcAfeeShow @PabloTorre pic.twitter.com/lZaUOY0bFb
— Only Friends Podcast (@OnlyFriends_Pod) October 23, 2025
30+ arrests. 11 states. 1 nationwide takedown.
Today the FBI dismantled a multi-million dollar gambling ring tied to La Cosa Nostra, including current & former NBA players and coaches — as well as an inside scheme to rig sports betting outcomes for profit.
Cheating,… pic.twitter.com/dxzDO26NFJ
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 23, 2025
*Photos – Twitter/X
