FBI Details Mafia-Related Gambling Probe Involving NBA Figures

Operation Zen Diagram Uncovered

• 🔍 Investigators uncovered a long-running scheme involving members and associates of several well-known organized crime families rigging high-stakes poker games across the country.
• 🤝 This operation, known as Operation Zen Diagram, brought together four of the five major New York crime families in a single indictment, reflecting its extensive reach.

Sophisticated Criminal Operation

• 🃏 The scheme utilized technologically sophisticated methods, including custom shuffling machines that could read cards, barcoded decks, and hidden cameras.
• 💡 These tools were used to create a facade of legitimacy, making victims believe they were playing at a fair table.

Public Figures Involved

• 🏀 Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and former NBA champion, and Terry Rozier were enlisted as public figures to make the games appear legitimate.
• 💰 Victims were cheated out of millions, with one individual losing $1.88 million, and total losses exceeding $7 million.

Enforcement and Charges

• 🚨 When victims refused to pay, defendants resorted to threats, intimidation, and violence, employing traditional mob enforcement methods.
• ⚖️ The unsealing of the indictment brings charges against 34 individuals, including robbery, extortion, money laundering, wire fraud, bank fraud, and illegal gambling.