(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Yall, these guys are straight up outta bounds. Three NBA names, including Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, have been hit with charges in two massive federal gambling busts. And, the details are straight-up wild. Between rigged high-stakes poker games and alleged insider betting on NBA matchups, this scandal reads like a real-life crime drama.
The indictment unsealed Thursday in Brooklyn federal court alleges the mob paid Billups and former NBA star Damon Jones to act as face cards. Allegedly, they used the duo to lure high rollers to poker games rigged with X-ray card tables, special glasses, and other cheating technology. The indictments name notorious mob associates, including Thomas Tommy Juice Gelardo, known for collecting gambling debts with threats, and Nicholas Fat Nick Minucci, an alleged Gambino associate with a violent past.
But, that’s not all. The second indictment says conspirators used insider info to place bets on the Lakers, Raptors, Hornets, and Trail Blazers. Authorities identify Billups as Co-Conspirator 8”for allegedly leaking tips that the Blazers planned to tank their March 24, 2023 game. Those leaked tips reportedly helped gamblers score big payouts. One case allegedly ties four of the five Mafia families to a rigged high-stakes poker scheme, while the other reportedly involves insider betting on LeBron James and four NBA teams.
Billups, who earned $106 million as a player and $4.7 million coaching the Blazers, was arrested in Oregon Thursday morning. And, Miami Heat guard, Terry Rozier, and ex-Cavs player, Damon Jones, also face charges for allegedly providing insider information. Additionally, authorities charged 31 people nationwide in connection with the rigged poker games. Furthermore, these illegal rings allegedly took place in Manhattan, the Hamptons, Miami, and Las Vegas. Officials say the conspiracies lasted years, generated over $7 million in illegal profits, and involved the Bonannos, Genoveses, Luccheses, and Gambinos families.
