NBA Stars Terry Rozier and Chanty Bilips Arrested in Massive Illegal Gambling and Mob-Tied Poker Schemes

Massive Illegal Gambling Ring Uncovered

• 🚨 34 people have been arrested in connection with large-scale illegal gambling operations spanning multiple years and states.
• 💰 Investigations involve tens of millions of dollars and sophisticated deception tactics.
• ⚖️ Charges include extortion, robbery, money laundering, and illegal gambling.

Sports Betting Scheme with NBA Players

• 🏀 A sports betting scheme involved Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cavaliers player Damon Jones.
• 💡 These NBA stars allegedly fed insider information to sports bettors, including details about injuries.
• 📈 In one instance, Rozier allegedly tipped off a codefendant about faking an injury, leading to $200,000 in wagers placed on the game's under.

Mob-Tied Rigged Poker Games

• 🃏 A separate investigation targets illegal poker games allegedly set up by organized crime families like the Gambinos, Bonannos, and Genovese families.
• 🇨🇦 Portland Trailblazers head coach and former player Chanty Bilips is implicated in this scheme.
• 🃏 Investigators revealed the use of complex cheating technology, including X-ray tables to read facedown cards and special contact lenses, to rig games.
• 💸 Victims were allegedly hustled out of tens of millions of dollars under the pretense of playing poker with NBA legends.

Law Enforcement Response and NBA Cooperation

• 🏛️ The press conference featured FBI Director Cash Patel, the US Attorney for the Eastern District, and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish.
• 🗣️ Officials described it as one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since the legalization of online sports betting.
• 🤝 The NBA has been cooperative throughout the investigation.
• ⚖️ Arrested individuals in the New York area are expected to be arraigned in Brooklyn, while Rozier and Bilips will face federal court in Orlando and Portland, respectively.