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Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard and coach Damon Jones were among 31 arrested as part of a widespread FBI investigation on Thursday, Fox News Digital confirmed.
The investigation was tied to a probe into members of the La Cosa Nostra crime families. The FBI will hold a news conference about its probe at 10 a.m. ET.
Rozier did not play during the Miami Heat’s game on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic. Billups was on the sidelines for the Trail Blazers against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Billups, a Hall of Famer and NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons, played 17 years in the league. He was a five-time All-Star.
Rozier’s arrest was tied to NBA gambling and Billups’ arrest was tied to poker, Fox News Digital confirmed.
Federal authorities launched an investigation, dubbed Operation Zhen Diagram, into a nationwide gambling ring allegedly involving members of the La Cosa Nostra crime families who allegedly defrauded unwitting victims of millions.
The FBI said that the proceeds of the activity were allegedly laundered by members of the ring and at some points were converted into cryptocurrency to avoid being detected by law enforcement.
The FBI said a confidential source recorded more than 3,000 phone calls and meetings with the targets of its investigation. The source introduced undercover agents to the targets and participated in a rigged poker game.
Officials said the poker games involved cheating devices such as rigged shuffling devices.
The operation overlapped with a separate investigation, dubbed Nothing But Bet, involving a probe into fixed NCAA basketball games. The FBI said the ring included current and former NBA players.
Rozier was allegedly involved in a scheme to manipulate statistics in order for his alleged co-conspirators to profit from prop bets.
Jones was on the Los Angeles Lakers bench as an assistant coach when he allegedly provided information to his co-conspirators that was not made available to the public.
Billups was accused of having ties to the poker games and ties to La Cosa Nostra.
Fox News Digital reached out to the NBA, Heat and Trail Blazers for comment.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
