Terry Rozier & Others Arrested in Alleged Gambling Cases

[Redz]

Not a whole lot of details in the article.  The part I found most interesting was Silver asking that 2-way players be left off prop bets. 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46695228/sources-terry-rozier-arrested-part-gambling-inquiry

Oh wow?Billups now too

https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1981336829547975078

Ok?so separate case and Billups one not involving basketball.  Scary Terry one way more significant.

[celticinorlando]

Chauncey Billups also arrested this morning.

[Roy H.]

Incredibly stupid decision by these guys (allegedly).  What type of payout are these guys getting that makes it worth it?

[Moranis]

Sounds like Billups was a poker investigation involving the mob.  The Rozier incident was years ago and had already been investigated by the NBA so perhaps the FBI found more information. 

Damon Jones also arrested.  He is a coach on Cavs staff

[Redz]

Damon Jones too

Who else ya think
Anyone want to wager on the next name?

[Roy H.]

Damon Jones too

Who else ya think
Anyone want to wager on the next name?

It's not a new name, but my guess is that Malik Beasley's comeback hopes are over.

[Donoghus]

Probably a good thing we didn't hire Chauncey to replace Brad. Yikes.

[Donoghus]

Apparently, there has been 31 arrests so far in this probe.

[Neurotic Guy]

Wow. Just flipped on TV to see US attorney statements re: betting scheme and rigged poker scheme.  In addition to Rozier (sports betting case), Damon Jones implicated in both schemes, Chauncey Billups in the poker scheme.  Others involved included organized crime. 

[Donoghus]

Brett Siegel
@BrettSiegelNBA
?
31m
Four teams came up in the illegal sports gambling investigation as teams who were bet on:

Charlotte Hornets
Los Angeles Lakers
Toronto Raptors
Portland Trail Blazers

Brett Siegel
@BrettSiegelNBA
?
29m
Damon Jones and Terry Rozier?s allegations for illegal sports gambling activity in the NBA include providing inside information about NBA players and teams related to prop bets between 2022 and 2024.

Brett Siegel
@BrettSiegelNBA
?
17m
In 2023, Rozier, playing with the Hornets, let others close to him know he was going to leave the game early with an ?injury.?

Rozier exited the game after nine minutes, and the bets placed millions on his ?under? bets.

The FBI says individuals gathered at his home later.

[Donoghus]

More in depth

ury Brown reposted
Joe Pompliano
@JoePompliano
The FBI is holding a press conference right now on the details around this morning's sports gambling bust.

Here are some of the highlights:

1. Current and former NBA players and coaches Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones have been arrested.

2. This was an illegal gambling and sports rigging operation that spanned years across 11 states. In total, 30 individuals have been arrested (13 mafia members).

3. The case involves La Cosa Nostra (the Italian mafia).

4. Charges include illegal gambling, wire fraud, and extortion.

5. There are two separate indictments. The first involves six defendants accused of participating in a sports corruption scheme that exploited insider information involving NBA players and teams. The defendants leveraged their connections to place prop bets based on confidential insider information, winning tens of thousands of dollars per bet.

The second indictment involves 31 defendants charged with participating in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games. The FBI says they used high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground poker games that were secretly fixed.

6. The two cases are separate, but there are three overlapping defendants, including former NBA player and coach Damon Jones.

7. The FBI says that NBA player Terry Rozier told the defendants that he was going to leave a game early on March 23, 2023, with an injury. The defendants then placed more than $200,000 of wagers on the unders for his prop bets, with Rozier leaving the game after nine minutes.  Those bets paid out tens of thousands of dollars in profits, and the defendants and Rozier counted the money at his house.

8 The FBI says that former Raptors player Jontay Porter was threatened to participate in the sports gambling scheme because of his gambling debts.

9. Teams that were bet on during the sports gambling scheme include the Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Toronto Raptors.

10.  The rigged poker games occurred in the Hamptons, Miami, Las Vegas, and Manhattan.

11. The poker scheme targeted victims who were lured to participate in rigged poker games by the chance to play alongside former professional athletes. These athletes included Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones.

12. The FBI says that the defendants utilized altered shuffling machines to read the cards in the deck and then relayed that information to an off-site operator. The offsite operator ? known as the "quarterback" ? then sent that information to someone at the table.

13. The FBI also says that the defendants utilized other cheating technologies, including poker chip trays that read cards through hidden cameras, special contact lenses and glasses that could read marked cards, and x-ray poker tables that could read cards face down.

14. The FBI says that the defendants robbed a victim at gunpoint to acquire a rigged shuffling machine.

15. The sports gambling investigation is called "Operation Nothing But Net," while the poker investigation is called "Operation Royal Flush."

16. The FBI has been working on this investigation for four years, with victims losing at least $7 million.

17. One specific victim lost at least $1.8 million.

18. The FBI reviewed thousands of hours of video evidence and executed more than two dozen search warrants.

These are just accusations at this point. I am just pointing out details from the FBI's investigation.

[A Future of Stevens]

This is insane

[Who]

Former NBA player Damon Jones has been arrested in Las Vegas as part of a federal investigation into illegal gambling.

Jones allegedly sold non-public injury information to bettors, including Eric Earnest and Marves Fairley, centered on player availability and potential in-game exits, according to the indictment.

Before a game on Feb. 9, 2023 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, Jones reportedly texted a co-conspirator that a player would be out and suggested backing Milwaukee. That player had not yet appeared on the injury report.

It is believed to be LeBron James as he did not play in it due to ankle soreness two days after he became the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Jones was a longtime teammate of James during their time together with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jones also provided inside information during the 2023-24 season regarding Player 4, identified by the DOJ as one of the Lakers' top performers that year.

Jones wasn't a Lakers employee at time of allegations, sources said

The Lakers are currently not available to comment. Team and league sources said that Damon Jones wasn?t an employee of the Lakers at the time of these allegations. He was allowed to be in restricted spaces such as planes and locker rooms as he worked with LeBron James.

[Redz]

This is insane

But not shocking....

There are just so many ways to cheat the system and next to impossible to regulate.  I kinda miss the old days of Johhny and Rocco with a bit of shadiness and risk involved.  I guess that had it's own level of corruption too.  Just not as mainstream.

The sports world made their bed on this one, now they'll have to sleep in their messy bed.

[BitterJim]

The sports betting stuff isn't too surprising (except maybe the detail about Jontay Porter being forced into it), but the stuff about the fixed poker games is wild. How did someone like Billups get involved in that? I doubt he needs the money