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Late. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., was excited about the start of the Portland Trail Blazers’ new season, but just one day after the team’s opener, the team is mired in controversy following an FBI investigation.
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, along with Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard Damon Jones, were among more than two dozen arrests as part of a wide-ranging FBI investigation Thursday. Billups was allegedly involved in a nationwide poker ring involving members of the La Cosa Nostra crime families.
Wyden, who loves the game of basketball, having played at UC Santa Barbara in the 1960s, was as shocked as the rest of sports fans when he learned the news, especially as it affected his local team.
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Late. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., dons a Portland Trail Blazers-themed Rip City hat in the Hart Building on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)
“I will tell you this is a very sad day for all of us as sports fans,” Wyden told reporters when asked about his thoughts on the investigation. He did not return calls for further comment.
Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said during the investigative announcement Thursday that alleged fraudsters in the poker takedown targeted victims known as “fish,” who were lured in by offering them the chance to play alongside former professional athletes like Billups. These athletes became known as “face cards”.
HOW CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, DAMON JONES WERE ALLEGEDLY USED TO FORCE VICTIMS INTO ILLEGAL POKER GAMES
Nocella added that the “fish” were unaware that the “face cards” were part of the scheme.
As for the sports gambling side of the investigation, Nocella said planners were allegedly given non-public information about who would face future games or when they would pull out early due to injuries or illnesses.
There was a specific case brought by Nocella when Jontay Porter, a former Toronto Raptors player, received a lifetime ban from the NBA and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud as part of a gambling scheme last year.
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) leaves a Senate Democratic meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building on October 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. The federal government shut down early Wednesday after Congress and the White House failed to reach a funding deal. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“In one case, they got their information by threatening a current player, Porter, because of his pre-existing gambling debts,” Nocella said, referring to the La Cosa Nostra crime families. “The defendants used this information to place hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent bets – mostly in the form of prop bets on the performance of individual players.
“The defendants relied on a network of strawmen to place the maximum number of bets to increase their potential profits. Most of these bets succeeded and the intended losses were in the millions of dollars. The defendants then laundered their illegal winnings in various ways.”
The Blazers released a statement about Billups later Thursday.
“We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups and the Trail Blazers are cooperating fully with the investigation,” the team said. “Billups has been placed on immediate leave and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim.
“Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.”
US Senator Ron Wyden speaks at the rally to say NO to tax cuts for billionaires and corporations at the US Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC (Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
The NBA, which cooperated in the investigation, placed Billups and Rozier on immediate suspension.
“We are in the process of reviewing the federal charges announced today,” the league said. “Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams and we will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities. We take these allegations very seriously and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
