Source: CBS Sports
CrimeHow NBA figures and mafia families allegedly stole millions in rigged poker games: “Very sophisticated cheating technologies”ByKerry BreenKerry BreenNews EditorKerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.Read Full BioKerry BreenUpdated on: October 23, 2025 / 11:24 PM EDT/ CBS NewsX-ray tables. Hidden cameras. Pre-marked cards. Even special contact lenses. Prosecutors say the suspects charged Thursday in ahigh-profile illegal gambling bustmade use of sophisticated technology to cheat victims out of millions.In a series of arrests Thursday morning, law enforcement officers across the country took several big names in NBA basketball anddozens of alleged criminal figuresinto custody on illegal betting charges. One case focuses on sports betting while another involves allegations of elaborately rigged high-stakes poker games.FBI officials said at a news conference that the poker ring was operated by organized crime figures from “La Cosa Nostra,” referring to known mafia families. The 31 defendants include alleged members of the Bonnano, Gambino, Luchesse and Genovese crime families, as well as Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones.Miami Heat star Terry Rozieris charged only in the sports betting case.The poker scheme started as early as 2019, with rigged games played in New York City, Las Vegas, the Hamptons, Miami and other locations, officials said.”The fraud is mind-boggling,” FBI Director Kash Patel said at the briefing. Ricky Patel, the Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New York, said the scheme “cheated victims out of at least $7 million.”Joseph Nocella, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said the defendants allegedly used a “variety of very sophisticated cheating technologies” to rig poker games with thousands of dollars at stake — and he described some in detail.Targeting “fish” with “face cards”The victims of the schemes were called “fish,” Nocello said. They were lured into the games with the chance to play alongside professional athletes, Nocello said. The pro athletes were known as “face cards.” The “face cards” included Jones and Billups, he said.Those involved, from the dealer to the “face cards,” knew about the scheme, Nocello said.”Once the game was underway, the defendants fleeced the victims out of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per game,” Nocello said.A “quarterback” and secret information from shuffling machinesThose taking part in the scheme allegedly used self-shuffling machines that had been “secretly altered” to read the cards in a deck and predict which player at the table had the best poker hand, Nocello said.That information was then sent to an off-site operator who allegedly sent the information via cellphone to the co-cons…
Published: 2025-10-24T03:24:00
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