They had allegedly bet on their games in the NBA, the world's most important basketball league, and organised illegal online poker games. This is the judicial scandal brought to light by the FBI. Almost forty (at the moment, it would be thirty-eight) people have been arrested, linked both to the Italian-American families of Cosa Nostra and to the American basketball championship, which began on the night of Wednesday 22 to Thursday 23 October.
Two different proceedings, with three individuals involved in both. Among the charges are wire fraud, money laundering, extortion and illegal gambling.
The first case concerns a sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential information on basketball players. Among the six arrested is Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. He was allegedly stopped just after the first championship game, after returning from a loss in Orlando.
His profile had already been watched by the feds in the past, starting with a suspicious game, played in early 2023, in which he had left the court after ten minutes due to a foot problem. The Nba, which said it was ready to cooperate, had investigated internally but had not found any matches.
The scheme, explained New York District Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr, is based on the use of information about athletes and franchises, such as injuries or situations in which players would be sidelined. It is therefore betting - in the hundreds of thousands of dollars - on individual events or performances not related to the outcome of a game, and therefore 'easier to manipulate'. That is why FBI director Kash Patel, who called the case 'shocking', likened it to 'insider trading in the NBA'. 'A historic operation, involving different entities in eleven states,' he added.
Then we come to the other case, the illegal poker case, which led to the arrest of thirty-two people. On the list are both former NBA player and coach Damon Jones and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, both of whom are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Not only that, because the games were 'run,' the prosecution reports, 'with the express authorisation and approval of members and associates of some Cosa Nostra organised crime families - they would be Gambino, Bonanno and Genovese - who provided support and protection for the games and collected debts owed by the games in exchange for part of the proceeds of illegal gambling'.
Tricks, therefore, to manipulate the games. Real 'deception teams' using advanced wireless technology to read the cards dealt in each hand and then pass on the information.
The response also came from the Nba, with its commissioner, Adam Silver, calling for stricter controls on gambling in the sport. In particular, to 'withdraw some of the bets' tied solely to the performance of a single athlete. 'We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness and the integrity of our game remains our top priority,' the league commented.
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