@cspanofficial: FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday announced indictments against more than 30 individuals — including current and former NBA players — in connection with two major criminal cases involving sports gambling and rigged poker games tied to organized crime.   "We will not allow this kind of illicit activity to happen, not only at the national sporting level, but also where it hides in La Cosa Nostra," Mr. Patel said at a press conference in New York.   "When these two collided together, they perpetrated a fraud that is historic in terms of not just money, but the scheme and the deceit that they utilized to steal and swindle people for money, to include crypto fraud."   Mr. Patel said the schemes involved "tens of millions of dollars" in theft, fraud and robbery.   Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones were allegedly part of a betting ring that exploited nonpublic information about NBA players and teams to place fraudulent wagers. Prosecutors said they knew when certain players would sit out or leave games early, allowing them to profit from prop bets on individual performances.   In a separate case, Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and a Hall of Fame player, and Mr. Jones were also allegedly tied to an underground poker network run by organized crime families. The games were reportedly fixed to funnel money to mafia-connected operators.   #kashpatel #NBA #cspan

C-SPAN

Open In TikTok:

Region: US

Thursday 23 October 2025 17:49:09 GMT