Miami Heat star Terry Rozier posted a $6 million bail and walked free Thursday, after being arrested as part of a sweeping FBI investigation into allegations of corrupt Mafia-backed poker games and sports-rigging.
The basketball star, 31, appeared at federal court in Orlando around 2:30 p.m local time handcuffed and shackled at the ankles, wearing a Charlotte Hornets hoodie, per WKMG. He was forced to put up his luxurious Florida property up as collateral to pay the bond.
Accusations against Rozier were unveiled earlier at a dramatic press conference. FBI director Kash Patel also alleged that former basketball stars Chauncey Billups, now manager of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Damon Jones were used as fronts to lure big spenders into poker games.
Members of New York's notorious Five Families would fleece the unsuspecting victims using “technologically sophisticated” methods, including devices to predict which player at the table had the best hand.
A separate but related FBI investigation probed allegations of game-rigging where both current and former players, including Rozier, used “non-public information” to advise others on where to place their bets.
Rozier was arrested over game-rigging, stemming from “suspicious” bets that were placed on him during a 2023 game, during which he limped off the court after less than 10 minutes and sat out for the rest of the game.
Key Points
- Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier arrested in federal gambling probe
- Arrests included members of infamous Cosa Nostra Mafia familes
- LeBron James dragged into FBI investigation
- Illegal gambling operations were 'technologically sophisticated' says NYPD Commissioner
- NBA players used 'non-public information' for illegal sports rigging
- Federal indictment reveals hilarious mobster nicknames
Recap: What we learned about the 'historic' FBI sports gambling investigations
16:25 , Mike BediganFBI director Kash Patel on Thursday hailed the “historic” investigations into sports-rigging and illegal gambling – which was in part connected to the Mafia.
Here’s a recap of the Thursday press conference:
- A total of 34 people in “over 11 states” were arrested in connection to illegal gambling and sports rigging operations
- Among those arrested were NBA stars Damon Jones and Terry Rozier, and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Cauncey Billups
- 13 members of the Bonnano, Gambino and Genovese crime families – part of the infamous Cosa Nostra – were also arrested
- One investigation centered on illegal betting on various NBA games, where players used “non-public information” to inform bets
- Another probed underground poker games, where “high-tech cheating technology” was used to steal millions from unwitting victims
In pictures: Terry Rozier leaves federal court in Florida
21:28 , Mike Bedigan
Rozier to be released after posting $6 million bond
21:07 , Mike BediganMiami Heat star Terry Rozier will be released today, after putting up his $6 million Florida property up as collateral.
The basketball star appeared at federal court in Orlando around 2:30 p.m Thursday.
He walked into court handcuffed and shackled at the ankles, wearing a Charlotte Hornets hoodie, per WKMG.
Rozier’s defense attorneys called prosecutors’ behavior “draconian.”
‘Quarterbacks,’ ‘face cards’ and spy tech: How the Mafia allegedly teamed up with NBA stars to rip off high-stakes poker games
20:40 , Mike BediganA basketball coach in the NBA's hall of fame and alleged members of the American Mafia are embroiled in what federal prosecutors are calling a years-long scheme to swindle millions of dollars from high rollers who had no chance of winning.
Alex Woodward dives into the detail of the stunning indictments:
How the Mafia allegedly teamed up with NBA stars to rip off high-stakes poker games
Portland Trail Blazers release a statement following FBI investigation
20:28 , Mike BediganThe Portland Trail Blazers have released a statement following the FBI investigation, announcing Tiago Splitter as interim coach.
"We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation,” the statement read.
“Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim. Any further questions should be directed to the NBA."
Kash Patel says 'corruption has consequences'
19:43 , Mike Bedigan🚨 30+ arrests. 11 states. 1 nationwide takedown.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 23, 2025
Today the FBI dismantled a multi-million dollar gambling ring tied to La Cosa Nostra, including current & former NBA players and coaches — as well as an inside scheme to rig sports betting outcomes for profit.
Cheating,… pic.twitter.com/dxzDO26NFJ
White House press secretary asked if Trump gambled following FBI probe
19:31 , Mike BediganWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if President Donald Trump was a gambler, following FBI’s sweeping investigations into sports-rigging and illegal gambling.
Leavitt said she wasn’t sure.
“You know, I’m not sure. I don’t think he does. I’ve been with him for quite some time and I’ve never seen him gamble,” she said during a press conference Thursday.
Watch: Mafia gambling ring used NBA stars to lure players into rigged poker games, FBI says
19:16 , Mike BediganNYPD Commissioner says gambling operations used 'mob enforcement methods'
18:58 , Mike BediganNYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the illegal gambling operations, which took place across the country used “traditional mob enforcement methods.”
“These defendants did what organized crime has always done,” she told reporters Thursday.
“They use threats, they use intimidation, and they used violence. It's the same pattern that we have seen for decades.
“Traditional mob enforcement methods combined with new technology to expand the reach of their operation.”
NBA Players Association responds to FBI investigation
18:44 , Mike BediganThe NBA Players Association has responded to the news of the FBI investigation.
“The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence, and both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention,” an NBPA spokesperson said in a statement.
“We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process.”
ICYMI: NBA star and head coach arrested in gambling probes as FBI arrests have potential to rock the sport
18:31 , Mike Bedigan
NBA star and head coach arrested in FBI gambling probes that could rock the sport
LeBron James dragged into FBI investigation
18:18 , Mike BediganNBA legend LeBron James has been dragged into the FBI game-rigging investigation
Details of the Lakers champion’s injury status were sold by his former coach Damon Jones as part of a massive prop betting scheme, according to court documents.
Jones allegedly sent a message to one of the betting ring members in February 2023 telling a friend to place a large bet on the Lakers’ opponent the Milwaukee Bucks, because James would be out with an injury that night, sources told The New York Post.
Jones is a former Cleveland Cavaliers player and was an “unofficial assistant coach” for the Lakers during the 2022-2023 season.
Defendants held victims at gun point to steal game-rigging machines, indictment states
18:10 , Mike BediganThe indictment also accuses several alleged mobsters of extorting John Doe victims with threats of violence to retrieve debts from high-stakes games.
In September 2023, several defendants allegedly held up a John Doe victim at gunpoint to steal a rigged shuffling machine.
At a press conference Thursday, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the illegal gambling operations, which took place across the country used “traditional mob enforcement methods.”
Details of 'technologically sophisticated' poker game schemes revealed
17:58 , Alex WoodwardDetails of the “technologically sophisticated” techniques used by those allegedly involved in the illegal gambling rings have been revealed in the indictment.
At the games, the plaintiffs used card shuffling machines that were “secretly altered to use concealed technology 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,” according to the indictment.
That operator then called the “quarterback” or “driver” at the table, who used “secret signaling” to share that information with other members of the group.
Other means of cheating included “electronic poker chip trays” that could covertly read cards on the table; decoy cell phones that secretly analyzed cards; and playing cards with individual markers that could only be seen by players wearing special sunglasses or contact lenses.
How much were Rozier and Billups being paid?
17:47 , Mike BediganOutside of their alleged involvement with illegal sports-rigging and gambling, Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billup were both reportedly earning millions.
In 2025-26, Rozier was due to earn a base salary of just over $26.5 million, according to Hoops Hype.
The Miami Heat guard was paid just shy of $25 million in the 2024-25, NBA season and just over $23 million in the one prior.
He signed four year, $96 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets, in 2019, with and an average annual salary of around $24 million.
As for Billups, the Portland Trail Blazers didn't reveal his remuneration when they extended his contract in April.
However, speculation, including by Sportrac, suggests he's on about $4 million a year.
Patel says FBI will get 'heat' for going after NBA players
17:37 , Mike BediganFBI boss Kash Patel said he expected to “take heat” for the arrests announced Thursday, explaining: “It's not popular to go after some of the defendants that we went after today.
“But justice is served blindly. This is the insider trading saga for the NBA. That's why we are gonna take heat.”
NBA releases statement on FBI investigation
17:30 , Mike BediganFollowing the FBI announcements on Thursday, the NBA has released the following statement:
“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” the statement read.
“Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.
“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority."
Kash Patel mocked over pronunciation of Mafia crime organization
17:17 , Mike BediganFBI director Kash Patel has been mocked online over his pronunciation of the infamous crime organization “La Cosa Nostra” – a self-referential term meaning “our thing.”
During a press conference, Patel appeared to pronounce the phrase “casa nostra,” which translates to “our house.”
Kash I’m begging you stop saying “La Casa Nostra”
— @DukeStJournal (@DukeStJournal) October 23, 2025
Kash Patel keeps saying "Casa Nostra" as if it's a house lmfao
— Art Vandelay (@LJS527) October 23, 2025
I for one am so glad to see Kash Patel out there protecting us from “La Casa Nostra” https://t.co/ctJAB8Yn3h
— Corey booBrowa 🎃 👻 🐈⬛ (@coreydu) October 23, 2025
Hakeem Jeffries responds to FBI indictment
17:10 , Mike BediganHouse Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said that FBI indictment announced Thursday had “shocked” many NBA fans.
"It's a stunning development,” he told CNN.
“The indictment seems very wide-ranging. Of course every single one of the individuals charged are entitled to the presumption of innocence.
“But it was a development that shocked the conscience of a lot of folks, particularly those who follow the NBA closely.”
Federal indictment reveals hilarious mobster nicknames
17:01 , Mike BediganThe FBI indictment into the illegal gambling rings includes many of the alleged members’ nicknames.
From “Big Bruce” to “Pookie,” the hilarious highlights include:
- Nelson “Spanish G” Alvarez
- Ammar “Flappy” Awawdeh
- Matthew “The Wrestler” Daddino
- Eric “Spook” Earnest
- Thomas “The Juice” Gelardo
- “Black Tony” Goodson
- Shane “Sugar” Hennen
- Osman Hoti, also known as “Albanian Bruce” or “Big Bruce”
- Zhen Hu, also known as “Stanley”
- Anthony “Doc” Shnayderman
- Sophia “Pookie” Wei
Sport’s biggest betting scandals: From Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter to Phil Mickelson, Ivan Toney and more
16:50 , Mike BediganThe NBA has been rocked by two high-profile arrests as part of FBI investigations into illegal gambling.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were both arrested early Thursday – Rozier was apprehended at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, while Billups was arrested in Oregon.
Sport’s biggest betting scandals: From Ohtani’s interpreter to Mickelson and Toney
Full list of names charged in connection to rigged poker games
16:42 , Mike BediganHere is the full list of names allegedly connected to the rigged poker games, which authorities described as “technologically sophisticated:
- Chauncey Billups — Portland Trail Blazers head coach and NBA Hall of Famer
- Damon Jones — former NBA player
- Ernest Aiello — reputed member of the Bonanno crime family
- Joseph Lanni – reputed member of the Gambino crime family
- Thomas Gelardo — reputed member of the Lucchese crime family
- Saul Becher — a professional poker player
- Lee Fama — another professional poker player
- Nelson Alvarez
- Louis Apicella
- Ammar Awawdeh
- Matthew Daddino
- Eric Earnest
- John Gallo
- Marco Garzon
- Jamie Gilet
- Tony Goodson
- Kenny Han
- Shane Hennen
- Osman Hoti
- Horatio Hu
- Zhen Hu
- John Mazzola
- Curtis Meeks
- Nicholas Minucci
- Michael Renzulli
- Anthony Ruggiero Jr.
- Anthony Shnayderman
- Robert Stroud
- Seth Trustman
- Sophia Wei
- Julius Ziliani
Terry Rozier will fight allegations, his lawyer says
16:32 , Mike BediganTerry Rozier’s lawyer says the NBA star will fight the charges against him and that prosecutors were late to inform him that he would be arrested.
"They characterized Terry as a subject, not a target, but at 6 a.m. this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel,” Jim Trusty told The Atlantic.
“It is unfortunate that instead of allowing him to self surrender they opted for a photo op. They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case. They appear to be taking the word of spectacularly in-credible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing."
Trusty added: "Terry was cleared by the NBA and these prosecutors revived that non-case. Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight."
Rozier investigated following 'suspicious' betting activity in 2023
16:15 , Mike BediganAccording to officials the federal investigation into NBA star Terry Rozier began following unusual betting patterns around one of his games in 2023, while he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets.
Bookmakers in multiple states reported suspicious interest in his statistics, resulting in a surge of bets on his points, rebounds and assists.
He scored five points, four rebounds and two assists within 10 minutes, but then left the court complaining of a foot injury, and did not return, causing outrage from online betters.
Despite this, the NBA did not find that he had violated any league rules.
NYPD Commissioner says gambling operations used 'mob enforcement methods'
16:08 , Mike BediganNYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the illegal gambling operations, which took place across the country used “traditional mob enforcement methods.”
“These defendants did what organized crime has always done,” she told reporters Thursday.
“They use threats, they use intimidation, and they used violence. It's the same pattern that we have seen for decades.
“Traditional mob enforcement methods combined with new technology to expand the reach of their operation.”
Arrests included members of infamous Cosa Nostra Mafia familes
16:05 , Mike BediganAmong the 34 arrests made by the FBI Thursday were members of the infamous Cosa Nostra Mafia familes.
A total of 13 people from the Bonnano, Gambino and Genovese crime families were detained.
Watch: Gambling ring connected to NY mafia used x-ray tables to rig poker games, FBI says
15:55 , Mike BediganIllegal gambling operations were 'technologically sophisticated' says NYPD Commissioner
15:51 , Mike BediganNYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the illegal gambling operations as “technologically sophisticated.”
“They used custom shuffling machines and could read the order of cards, barcoded decks and hidden cabins, tables and light fixtures,” she said.
“The organizers also enlisted well known public figures, former and current NBA players and coaches.”
Billups and Jones were among the NBA stars used as “face cards” to play alongside members of the public, who were then exploited.
Prosecutors said the gambling schemes utilizing the wireless technology began in 2019 at high-stakes games in the Hamptons, Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan.
Jones and Rozier used 'non-public information' for illegal sports rigging
15:37 , Mike BediganNocella said that NBA players Damon Jones and Terry Rozier had used “non-public information” as part of sports game rigging operations.
The information included when specific players would be sitting out future games, or when they would pull themselves out early for purported injuries or illnesses, he said.
“They also misused information obtained through long standing friendships that they had with NBA players and coaches,” he added.
“Defendants use this non public information to place hundreds of 1000s of dollars of fraudulent bets, mostly in the form of prop bets on individual player performance.”
The bets were placed through online sports books and also in person at casinos, and the men had used “a network of straw betters” to place the maximum amount of bets to increase their potential profits, he added.
The illegal winnings were then laundered in various ways, including peer to peer platforms, bank wires and simple cash exchanges.
US Attorney calls operation 'one of most brazen sports corruption schemes'
15:24 , Mike BediganUS Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr, for the Eastern District of New York, called the operations “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”
“These defendants, which include former professional athletes used high tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground poker games that we secretly fixed,” he said.
"Your winning streak has ended ... and you can bet on that.”
Patel says gambling and rigging operations spanned 'years'
15:20 , Mike BediganSpeaking Thursday morning, Patel said the FBI had cracked "an illegal gambling operation and sports-rigging operation that spanned the course of years."
He added that over 30 people had been arrested in over 11 states and that the money involved in the alleged NBA gambling ring is "tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery.”
"This is an operation that showcases to you that under President Trump's administration, there is no room for any type of criminal behavior, be in on the world's largest stage or in the back rooms of tiny parlors where card games were being played,” Patel said.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers star Damon Jones also arrested, says Patel
15:16 , Mike BediganFormer NBA star Damon Jones, who played most of his career for the Cleveland Cavaliers, has also been arrested as part of FBI investigations into illegal sports betting.
FBI Kash Patel confirmed the player’s arrest Thursday at a press conference.
Starting soon: FBI director Kash Patel holds press conference on investigations
15:05 , Mike BediganFull story so far: NBA Star and Head Coach arrested in gambling probes as FBI arrests have potential to rock the sport
15:04 , Mike BediganAn NBA star and head coach were both arrested early Thursday as part of sweeping FBI investigations into gambling.
Miami Heat star Terry Rozier was apprehended at a hotel in Orlando, Florida. Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers was also picked up by law enforcement in Oregon.
Here’s the full story as we know it so far:
NBA star and head coach arrested in FBI gambling probes that could rock the sport
Multiple arrests made in FBI investigation into illegal sports gambling
14:55 , Mike BediganNBA star Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncy Billups were both arrested early Thursday as part of sweeping FBI investigations into illegal gambling.
Both men were arrested as part of separate, but related, probes and were picked up in Florida and Oregon, respectively.
An FBI press conference on the investigation is being held at 10 a.m. with director Kash Patel and prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York.
Follow The Independent’s live updates here.
