Federal prosecutors announced charges against over 30 individuals connected to a substantial illegal poker operation that defrauded victims of millions since 2019. Among those charged are several Mafia members and former professional basketball players, including Chauncey Billups, the current head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Damon Jones, a former player with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The indictments allege that a sophisticated scheme involved rigged card-shuffling machines and the use of specialized contact lenses or sunglasses that allowed players to discern markings on the backs of cards.
According to the indictments, Billups and Jones acted as “face cards,” luring affluent participants to these manipulated games in exchange for a portion of the profits. The scandal has reverberated through the sports community, with fans raising suspicious questions about past games involving NBA player Terry Rozier. Prominent sports commentator Stephen A. Smith has also found himself in a public dispute with Kash Patel over the implications of the situation.
Amidst the investigation, some pop-culture figures were erroneously drawn into the discourse, including Kylie Jenner. Initial reports from the New York Post suggested that the high-stakes poker games occurred at a rental townhouse in Greenwich Village that Jenner and Travis Scott were purportedly using as a crash pad. However, the publication later rectified its claims, clarifying that it was only Scott who was renting the property. It remains unclear why the poker games, allegedly tied to members of the Gambino and Genovese crime families, took place in Scott’s rental, but both he and Jenner are not implicated in the criminal activities according to the indictments.
As the legal proceedings unfold, there is a growing expectation for transparency and accountability within the world of sports and entertainment. Continued developments in this story may shed light on the broader implications of such illicit activities involving high-profile individuals, raising questions about ethics and integrity in professional sports.