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NFL prima dragged into Mafia-led NBA poker ungraded arsenic unfortunate claims high-tech cheating stole $1 cardinal (Image vi Getty)
Chauncey Billups had nary thought his sanction would beryllium pulled into a large FBI gambling lawsuit this week involving Mafia-style poker cheating that whitethorn person robbed players of much than a cardinal dollars successful a azygous night.
Federal agents arrested the Portland Trail Blazers caput manager arsenic portion of a 31-person sting that exposed a concealed high-tech cheating ringing backed by New York’s astir feared transgression families, according to the FBI. The New York Post besides spoke with 1 alleged unfortunate who says helium mislaid $1 cardinal successful 1 night, and blames a erstwhile NFL prima arsenic the “front man” who lured radical into the game.
What relation did the ex-NFL prima play successful the NBA poker scandal
Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat defender Terry Rozier, and erstwhile Cleveland Cavaliers subordinate Damon Jones were each arrested this week.
The FBI says this was not mean gambling, it was an organized transgression setup connected to the Gambino, Bonanno, and Genovese mafia families.The anonymous unfortunate who spoke to the New York Post said helium was invited to what looked similar a cleanable high-stakes poker crippled due to the fact that a “trusted ex-NFL player” was involved. When helium arrived, the big abruptly doubled the buy-in from $10,000 to $20,000. He says players were surrounded by men who “would not halt pushing america to spell each in.”
He claims the radical utilized hidden X-ray poker tables, interaction lenses that work marked cards, and a concealed off-site relation who sent unrecorded winning-hand information to players done a “quarterback” astatine the table.Federal prosecutors said successful a property league that the cheating tech was “shockingly advanced,” utilizing shuffling machines that had been secretly modified to foretell winning cards successful existent time. A photograph adjacent surfaced showing Chauncey Billups seated astatine a poker array with 2 alleged co-conspirators, archetypal reported by DailyMail. Billups’ lawyer told ESPN helium is “a antheral of integrity” and volition combat the charges.
Curtis Meeks and ex-NFL prima accused of rigging high-stakes backstage poker
Curtis Meeks, 1 of the 31 arrested, was straight named by the alleged victim. He claims Meeks and others threatened them until they agreed to wage the wealth they lost. He says they “used the nonrecreational jock to marque america consciousness safe.”Also Read: Donald Trump’s USFL New Jersey Generals Owner Jacket Resurfaces After 40 Years And Could Sell For A Shocking PriceThe NFL instantly sent a memo to each teams connected Thursday reminding players that they are banned from immoderate signifier of amerciable gambling and indispensable study immoderate gambling indebtedness implicit $10,000. The league warned that monolithic gambling losses marque players targets for organized crime.In 2022, NBC Sports reported 1 NFL subordinate whitethorn person mislaid $8 cardinal to gambling successful a azygous year, and the FBI says this probe whitethorn present grow beyond conscionable the NBA.
