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The FBI arrested three NBA personalities on Oct. 23 for alleged illegal sports betting. The arrests include LeBron James' friend and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
The FBI held a press conference following their arrests, revealing details about their cases and the investigation that is expected to follow suit.
Here are all the details we know so far in the case.
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What Did The FBI Press Conference on NBA Gambling Investigation Tell Us? All Details We Know So Far
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1.) The mafia had been involved
According to the FBI, there were over 30 individuals arrested, 13 of whom were mafia members, including ones from the Italian mafia named Los Cosa Nostra.
The charges were also specified as illegal gambling, wire fraud, and extortion with two indictments, one of which includes poker games and the other includes NBA games.
Among the indictments was a sports corruption case in which Jones, Rozier, and Billups, all of whom were overlapping defendants, allegedly used their insider knowledge to manipulate bets.
2.) Terry Rozier faked an injury to earn money from bets
Terry Rozier allegedly asked to be taken out of a game in 2023 due to an injury after just nine minutes of playing time.
According to the FBI, the defendants were told about what would happen to Rozier, prompting them to bet $200,000 on the unders of his prop bets.
They then profited from the bets. Per the FBI press conference, they even counted the money at Rozier's house.
3.) Jontay Porter was threatened to join the scheme because of his debts
New details also emerged on former NBA player Jontay Porter, who was arrested last year for his involvement in a sports gambling scheme.
The FBI said that Porter was threatened to join the scheme due to his gambling debts.
His former team Toronto Raptors was also among the NBA teams that were bet on during the scope of the investigation. Other teams mentioned in the investigation are the Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Lakers.
4.) Billups and Jones were used to lure players into rigged poker games
Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones were also used to lure players into rigged poker games, according to the FBI.
The rigged poker games in Hamptons, Miami, Las Vegas, and Manhattan in New York. Victims were lured through a chance of meeting and playing with former NBA players such as Billups and Jones.
They used rigged shuffling machines, which relayed card information to an off-site operator, who then delivered the message to somebody on the table. Other ways included special contact lenses, hidden cameras, special glasses, and X-ray poker tables.
The FBI named the investigation "Operation Nothing But Net" for the sports gambling activities, while "Operation Royal Flush" for the poker investigation.
