NBA's Billups, Rozier Arrested In FBI Probe Involving Alleged Prop Bets, Poker Rings And Mob Ties

Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player and coach Damon Jones were among more than 30 individuals arrested Thursday morning and indicted in a sweeping criminal investigation into alleged illegal gambling and sports rigging that also involved four of the five Mafia families.

The charges were unveiled at a news conference in Brooklyn where FBI Director Kash Patel and representatives from the Department of Justice and New York Police Department laid out details of an operation that spanned 11 states, resulted in 34 arrests and involved "tens of millions of dollars."

The FBI director said the historic fraud included "multiple NBA players and coaches, who allegedly took advantage of their own positions of power to rig gambling systems for their own benefit — eventually funneling money to La Cosa Nostra, enriching some of the most notorious criminal networks in the world." 

Head coach Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts during the first quarter of the preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at the Moda Center on October 14, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Rigged Illegal Poker Games

Billups, the current coach of the Portland Trail Blazers who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, and Jones allegedly participated in a scheme involving rigged illegal poker games. They face charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.

Federal authorities launched an investigation, dubbed Operation Zhen Diagram, into a nationwide gambling ring allegedly involving members of the Bonano, Gambino, Lucchese and Genovese families which allegedly defrauded victims out of millions of dollars. 

The FBI said the proceeds were often converted into cryptocurrency to avoid being detected by law enforcement. Officials stated the poker games involved cheating devices, such as rigged shuffling machines, as well as X-ray machines that could read face-down cards on the table.

Operation Zhen Diagram overlapped with a separate investigation, dubbed Nothing But Bet, involving a probe into fixed NCAA basketball games.

Alleged Sports Corruption

Rozier's arrest is tied to gambling involving NBA games during which he allegedly manipulated his statistics so co-conspirators could win prop bets. During a Thursday press conference, New York City police commissioner Jessia Tisch presented one alleged instance involving Rozier from March 23, 2023, when he was a member of the Charlotte Hornets. 

"[Rozier] let others close to him know that he planned to leave the game early with a supposed injury. Using that information, members of the group placed more than $200,000 in wagers on his under statistics," Tisch alleged.

Terry Rozier

"Rozier exited the game after just nine minutes, and those bets paid out, generating tens of thousands of dollars in profit. The proceeds were later delivered to his home, where the group counted their cash."

Rozier and five other defendants are facing charges of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. 

Jones, along with his alleged involvement in the separate poker scheme case, was also indicted as part of the sports rigging investigation. He's alleged to have shared inside, non-public information to help others place fraudulent bets.

FBI Director Kash Patel (R) leads news conference to announce arrests tied to illegal sports betting and poker game schemes, in New York City on October 23, 2025. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

"We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today," the NBA said in a statement released just after noon. "Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority."

Billups was on the bench coaching for the Trail Blazers during their 118-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night in Portland. Rozier did not play for the Heat during their 125-121 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

The NBA announced in January 2025 that Rozier was under federal investigation in connection to a sports betting scandal that dated back to the 2023 season during his time as a Hornet. The league continued to allow him to play during the 2025 campaign with Miami, as he had not been charged with any crimes.

Updates with statement from the NBA.