Federal prosecutors have shared new details about what they say was a nationwide gambling ring involving NBA figures Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones. In a detention letter filed in federal court, they describe advanced cheating technology, the use of former NBA pro athletes to draw in victims, real time coaching during games, and a money trail that allegedly sent $50,000 to Billups after a rigged poker game in 2020.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges during an October 23 news conference in New York, calling the arrests “historic” and tying the operation to La Cosa Nostra. United States Attorney Joseph Nocella said the conduct amounted to “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized,” alleging that confidential NBA information was misused and that victims lost millions in fixed poker games.
NBA stars’ alleged role in rigged poker games and high-tech cheating
According to the detention letter, as reviewed by ReadWrite, the gambling scheme depended on a range of hidden technologies. Besides altered shuffling machines and X-ray poker tables, prosecutors said the conspirators also used a poker chip tray analyzer that secretly read cards with hidden cameras.
The modified machines were designed to read cards in real time and send that information to operators who were not on site. The letter says the shufflers were altered to “read the cards in the deck, predict which player at the table had the best poker hand, and relay that information via interstate wires to an off site operator.” The operator would then message a player at the table known as the Quarterback, who would signal the rest of the cheating team.
‘Signal book’ for real-time cheating
One poker game in Miami in September 2024 even came with a clear list of physical signals that was shared beforehand.
As the document explains: “For example, the above text message indicated that if defendant RENZULLI (Mikey) had the best hand, the Quarterback (in this case, MAZZOLA) would touch the 1,000 poker chip; if defendant ALVAREZ (G) had the best hand, the Quarterback would tap his chin; if defendant MAZZOLA (Mazz) had the best hand, he would tap his wrist or arm. If the victim had the best hand, the Quarterback would touch his black chips, in which case the conspirators would fold to avoid losing money to the victim.”
Face Cards
The government says former NBA players were brought in to help lure wealthy victims into these games. According to the letter, “BILLUPS and JONES, in particular, served as Face Cards, meaning they were utilized to attract victims to the games because of their status as former professional athletes.”
Alleged wire trail to Chauncey Billups
Prosecutors also laid out a money trail they say followed a 2020 game that involved Billups. They wrote: “Following another rigged game in late October 2020 in which BILLUPS participated, bank records show that STROUD (through his company Lil Robbie Productions LLC) wired WEI 50,000 dollars, who, in turn, wired the 50,000 dollars directly to BILLUPS.”
Statement from Chauncey Billups' attorney to ESPN, making clear that Billups, like Terry Rozier, will fight the FBI's charges: pic.twitter.com/YCugGaXiiZ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 24, 2025
In a statement sent to ESPN, Chris Heywood, an attorney for Billups, stressed that Billups would never “cheat and defraud others.”
“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others.
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.
“Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to.
“Chauncey Billups has never backed down. He does not plan to do so now. He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court.”
Claims about Damon Jones’ role
Damon Jones, another former NBA player, is portrayed as both a recruiter and an active cheater. Prosecutors say that before a rigged game in East Hampton, “defendant JONES asked STROUD for payment even before the game started… STROUD sent 2,500 dollars to JONES via Zelle the same day.”
A few days later, during the same stretch of games, Jones was getting instructions while he played. The document says: “Messages show that defendant GOODSON (Tony in Macon) coached JONES in real time on how to cheat by instructing him to pay attention to defendants AWAWDEH (whom he likened to NBA All Star Stephen Steph Curry) and GARZON (whom he compared to NBA All Star Lebron Bron James), and, in case of doubt, to fold his hand.” Jones responded: “yall know I know what Im doing!!”
The detention letter also links the operation to the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families. Prosecutors wrote that several of the locations used for poker games were already known to be connected to organized crime groups and that those groups “took a percentage of the criminal proceeds” from the rigged games.
According to Nocella, the operation began in 2019 and spanned locations from the Hamptons to Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan. He said the NBA is cooperating with the investigation.
ReadWrite has contacted the legal representatives for Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones for comment.
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