Federal probe arrests Rozier and Billups in NBA gambling cases

Federal agents arrested more than three dozen people this week in a sweeping federal probe that has ensnared current and former NBA figures, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who were charged in separate but related gambling investigations, officials said. The arrests, announced Thursday, also included former player and coach Damon Jones and multiple alleged organizers of rigged high stakes poker games linked to organized crime, prosecutors said.

According to the indictments unsealed by prosecutors, Rozier, 31, is accused of providing nonpublic information about his plans to leave a March 2023 game while he was with Charlotte, information that prosecutors say was used to place large prop bets on his statistical performance. Rozier has denied the allegations through his attorney. Billups, 49, faces charges in a separate case alleging he served as a public "face" to attract wealthy players to poker games that were rigged with high technology devices and other cheating methods; his attorney has denied the charges. Jones is accused of relaying injury information about opposing players to bettors.