Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones are amongst 34 folks charged in reference to schemes involving unlawful sports betting and rigged poker video games backed by the Mafia, authorities mentioned on Thursday.
Read the full indictment by clicking the document below.
Rozier is accused in taking part in an unlawful sports betting scheme utilizing non-public insider NBA data, officers mentioned. Billups is charged in a separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker video games, authorities mentioned.
FBI Director Kash Patel and different regulation enforcement officers mentioned the a number of costs contain 4 of the 5 main mafia households and organized crime networks, and “mind-boggling” quantities of fraud. Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, accused the FBI of aiming for “misplaced glory” by embarrassing the skilled athlete with a perp stroll, relatively than permitting him to self-surrender.
Indictments describe a number of unnamed NBA gamers
The indictments include the description of a number of unnamed NBA gamers whose damage standing and availability for sure video games have been the supply of betting exercise. Those gamers should not accused of any wrongdoing and there isn’t any indication that they’d have even recognized what was being mentioned about their standing for these video games.
Those gamers embody LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard. Their identities are clear primarily based on a evaluate of corresponding damage stories surrounding video games talked about in the indictment.
The indictments present that sure defendants shared details about the availability of these gamers in video games on March 24, 2023, involving the Portland Trail Blazers, and two in 2023 and 2024 involving the Los Angeles Lakers.
For the Portland sport, defendant Eric Earnest, investigators mentioned, was given data {that a} player who had been listed as possible and then questionable to play that day wouldn’t play in any respect. Those particulars completely match how Lillard was listed on damage stories that day.Similar patterns have been discovered with Lakers video games involving James and Davis, with Jones alleged to have shared their damage data earlier than it was publicly recognized. In considered one of the instances, investigators mentioned, Jones received the particulars unsuitable and prompted some bettors who positioned massive wagers to lose.
Judge says Rozier will be launched by placing home up as bond and surrendering passport
A federal Justice of the Peace decide mentioned Thursday that Rozier might be launched from custody by placing up his Florida house as bond and surrendering his passport. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Norway additionally restricted Rozier’s journey to the continental United States and prohibited him from playing as circumstances for his launch.
Federal prosecutors had requested for a $10 million bond however Rozier’s lawyer mentioned that was extreme provided that the NBA star had no prior report.
Terry Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, and mom, Gina Tucker, arrive at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, on the day Rozier, a guard with the Miami Heat NBA staff, is predicted to seem in court docket following his arrest in reference to federal playing investigations, in Orlando, Florida, Oct. 23, 2025. Photo by Octavio Jones/ Reuters
“I think it’s Draconian,” mentioned Jim Trusty, Rozier’s lawyer. “He is a man of high character.”
In court docket, Rozier wore a black Charlotte Hornets sweatshirt with inexperienced lettering and was shackled and handcuffed. He didn’t communicate a lot besides when answering primary questions from the decide.
Rozier is going through two counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit cash laundering, in accordance with Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Hu. Each rely carries not more than 20 years in jail.