“During the game, we were around a bunch of bad guys, and they were trying to suck every bit away from us. And they did. They did a good job, and I’m still shell-shocked to this day from that night,” an anonymous source told the New York Post.
“Operation Royal Flush,” which was one of two cases in the FBI probe, resulted in the arrests of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones among 31 total defendants accused of allegedly used high-tech cheating gadgets to steal millions from games backed by four of the “Five Families” long suspected to have ruled organized crime within the New York area. The second probe, “Operation Nothing But Bet,” resulted in Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and five others being indicted in an insider sports betting scheme that “exploited confidential information.”
The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on administrative leave from their respective teams after both were federally charged on Thursday (October 23).
“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” the NBA said in a statement re-shared by ESPN‘s Shams Charania. “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.”
The federal takedown resulted in more than 30 arrests spanning 11 states, as well as and included charges of wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery and illegal gambling, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
“The fraud is mind-blogging,” Patel told reporters, referring to the alleged incidents as a “criminal enterprise that envelops both the NBA and La Cosa Nostra.”
Gates, 45, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past summer is widely regarded as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, recording a record 116 touchdown receptions for the position and ranking fourth in career receptions (955) and yards (11,841).
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