"Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups was arrested this morning in Oregon in connection to a multi-year illegal gambling and sports-rigging operation involving several prominent East Coast Mafia crime families including the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families. All four of these crime families are part of La Cosa Nostra-"Our Thing" in Italian, simply referred to as the Mafia in the US-a Sicilian crime syndicate active since the mid-19th century."
"FBI Director Kash Patel explained in a press conference this morning that Billups and others around the NBA have been arrested on charges of wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery, crypto fraud, and illegal gambling."
"Coach Billups-a five-time NBA All Star, inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2024-is being indicted in a case titled " the United States vs. Aiello," where the defendants are being accused of using "wireless cheating technology" to run rigged poker games in the Hamptons, Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan. Victims of the illegal games were allegedly lured into play by the prospect of gambling alongside big names in the NBA, including Billups and former professional baller Damon Jones. Each game had the potential to swindle hundreds of thousands of dollars from their marks, with total takings estimated in the tens of millions. The operation has been dubbed "Royal Flush" by the FBI."
The Portland Trail Blazers lost 114-118 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22, 2025, with Jerami Grant scoring 24 points and Donovan Clingan hitting a buzzer-beater. Chauncey Billups was arrested in Oregon in connection with a multi-year illegal gambling and sports-rigging operation tied to the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese crime families. FBI Director Kash Patel said Billups and others face charges including wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery, crypto fraud, and illegal gambling. The indictment in United States vs. Aiello alleges use of "wireless cheating technology" to run rigged poker games across major cities. Victims were allegedly lured by the chance to gamble alongside NBA figures, with individual games capable of swindling hundreds of thousands and total takings estimated in the tens of millions. The FBI named the operation "Royal Flush" and the investigation remains ongoing.
Read at Portland Mercury
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