NBA Coach and Player Arrested in Mafia-Backed Poker and Sports Betting Schemes

Underground Poker Ring and Mafia Involvement

• 💡 A Portland Trailblazers head coach, Chanty Bilips, is accused of involvement in a multi-state underground poker ring.
• mafia The games were reportedly backed by the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families.
• 🃏 Defendants allegedly used high-tech cheating technology, including rigged shuffling machines, X-ray devices, and special glasses, to steal millions.

Brazen Sports Betting Scheme

• 🏀 Miami Heat player Terry Roier is implicated in a scheme where he allegedly tipped off others about faking an injury.
• 💰 Bets totaling over $200,000 were placed on Roier's under statistics, with the group placing bets on his performance.
• 💸 Roier exited the game after only 9 minutes, leading to payouts of tens of thousands of dollars from these wagers.

Interconnected Cases and Arrests

• 🚨 Over 30 arrests were made across two separate criminal cases involving gambling operations.
• 🤝 Three individuals are named as defendants in both cases, including former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones.
• ⚖️ The US attorney's office in New York announced the charges, characterizing one scheme as the most brazen since online betting was legalized.