10/23/25 09:37:00
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10/23 09:35 CDT Heat's Rozier and Trail Blazers' Billups among dozens arrested
in gambling probe tied to the Mafia
Heat's Rozier and Trail Blazers' Billups among dozens arrested in gambling
probe tied to the Mafia
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, TIM REYNOLDS and PHILIP MARCELO
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) --- Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami
Heat guard Terry Rozier are among more than 30 people charged in connection
with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by
Mafia, authorities said on Thursday.
Rozier is accused in participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using
private insider NBA information, officials said. Billups is charged in a
separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker
games that were backed by Mafia families, authorities said.
The indictment of Rozier and others says there are nine unnamed co-conspirators
including a Florida resident who was an NBA player and an Oregon resident who
was an NBA player from about 1997 to 2014 and an NBA coach since at least 2021,
as well as a relative of Rozier.
The NBA had no immediate comment. The league has investigated Rozier previously
and still is looking into the actions of former Detroit player Malik Beasley,
one of the sources told the AP.
Rozier was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic in Orlando, Florida, in the
season opener for both teams on Wednesday evening, though he did not play in
the game. He was taken into custody in Orlando early Thursday morning. The team
didn't immediately comment on the arrest.
A message was left with Rozier's lawyer, Jim Trusty, on Thursday. Trusty
previously told ESPN that Rozier was told that an initial investigation
determined he did nothing wrong after he met with NBA and FBI officials in
2023, the sports network reported.
A message seeking comment was left with Billups on Thursday morning.
FBI Director Kash Patel and other law enforcement officials were providing more
information at a news conference Thursday.
The case was brought by the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn that previously
prosecuted ex-NBA player Jontay Porter. The former Toronto Raptors center
pleaded guilty to charges that he withdrew early from games, claiming illness
or injury, so that those in the know could win big by betting on him to
underperform expectations.
Billups was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year. The five-time
All-Star and three-time All-NBA point guard led the Detroit Pistons to their
third league title in 2004 as NBA Finals MVP. Boston drafted the former
Colorado star with the No. 3 pick overall in 1997. The player known as Mr. Big
Shot also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, the New York Knicks and the
Los Angeles Clippers. Billups won the Joe Dumars Trophy, the NBA's
sportsmanship award, in 2009 while playing for his hometown Denver Nuggets.
The 49-year-old Billups is in his fifth season as Portland's coach, compiling a
117-212 record. The Trail Blazers opened the season Wednesday night at home
with a 118-114 loss to Minnesota.
A game involving Rozier that has been in question was played on March 23, 2023,
a matchup between the Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier played the
first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of that game --- and not only did not return
that night, citing a foot issue, but did not play again that season. Charlotte
had eight games remaining and was not in playoff contention, so it did not seem
particularly unusual that Rozier was shut down for the season's final games.
In that March 23 game, Rozier finished with five points, four rebounds and two
assists in that opening period --- a productive quarter but well below his
usual total output for a full game.
Posts still online from March 23, 2023, show that some bettors were furious
with sportsbooks that evening when it became evident that Rozier was not going
to return to the Charlotte-New Orleans game after the first quarter, with many
turning to social media to say that something "shady" had gone on regarding the
prop bets involving his stats for that night.
A prop is a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will
exceed a certain statistical number, such as whether the player will finish
over or under a certain total of points, rebounds, assists and more.
___
Durkin Richer reported from Washington, and Reynolds reported from Miami.
Associated Press reporters David Collins in Hartford, Conn., and Larry Lage in
Detroit contributed.
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