LDN.Multiple NBA Figures, Including Blazers’ Head Coach Chauncey Billups, Arrested In Gambling Probe Connected To Mafia.LDN
(Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and former NBA Finals MVP, has been arrested in connection to an investigation by the FBI into alleged illegal activities that’s being linked to the mafia, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Miami Heat star guard Terry Rozier, as well as former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, were also arrested. (RELATED: Kendrick Perkins Makes ESPN’s Elle Duncan Uncomfortable In Incredibly Awkward Live TV Moment)
The FBI announced the arrests during a press conference Thursday.
Billups’ charges stem from gambling that’s poker-related, while Rozier’s arrest is connected to gambling concerns happening in the National Basketball Association, per the FBI. For Jones, his arrest is due to allegedly providing co-defendants with inside information, which they then used to bet on NBA games, according to ABC News. Billups is also being accused of being involved with illegal poker games that are linked to at least three mafia families in New York, according to CNN.
A total of 31 people have been arrested in the FBI‘s investigation, per the Bureau.
La Cosa Nostra, based in New York City, has “Five Families” in the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese families. In this particular probe, the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese families were allegedly involved, according to the FBI.
