NBA figures among 31 charged in nationwide poker cheating scheme

Federal prosecutors in New York have charged 31 people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones, in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal high-stakes poker games allegedly backed by members of the La Cosa Nostra crime families.

The indictment, unsealed Thursday in Brooklyn federal court, accuses the defendants of using sophisticated cheating devices to defraud victims out of millions of dollars.

Prosecutors say the games were backed by members of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese organized crime families, who took a cut of the proceeds.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Billups and Jones acted as “Face Cards,” well-known figures used to attract unsuspecting players to poker games that were secretly fixed through modified shuffling machines, concealed cameras, and specially designed contact lenses capable of reading marked cards.

“Today’s indictment and arrests sound the final buzzer for these cheaters,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement. “They used their celebrity and technology to scam innocent victims out of millions.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrests followed a four-year investigation across nine states, describing the case as one that “followed the money” into the financial networks of La Cosa Nostra.

Authorities said the cheating ring operated in New York City, the Hamptons, and across multiple U.S. states, with members of organized crime overseeing the games and enforcing debts through threats and violence. The defendants allegedly defrauded victims of at least $7 million.

As part of the schemes, some of the charged defendants and other co-conspirators also committed acts of violence, including the robbery and extortions charged in the indictment.

Billups, a former NBA Finals MVP, and Jones, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, were among those arrested Wednesday. Both were charged with participating in the rigged games, though prosecutors have not accused them of involvement in the violent enforcement side of the scheme.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials said the operation combined “organized crime, professional athletes, and advanced cheating technology,” calling it “reminiscent of a Hollywood movie — but this was real, and it defrauded people of millions.”

The NBA said in a statement Thursday that it is “reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” confirming that Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier have been placed on immediate leave from their teams.