Articles in this Cluster
24-10-2025
The FBI has arrested dozens of people, including NBA player Terry Rozier and coach Chauncey Billups, in a crackdown on illegal sports betting and mafia-linked poker games. Rozier is accused of faking an injury to influence betting markets, while Billups is alleged to have participated in rigged poker games. The investigation uncovered a scheme involving four of the five major crime families in New York, with victims being lured into playing rigged games and losing millions of dollars. The NBA has placed Rozier and Billups on immediate leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Entities: Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, FBI, NBA, Miami Heat • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
24-10-2025
A complex poker scam involving the mafia, NBA stars, and high-tech cheating devices has been dismantled by US authorities, with over 30 arrests made. The scheme, which operated from 2019, targeted wealthy gamblers and celebrities, cheating them out of at least $7m. The scam used various methods, including X-ray card tables, secret cameras, and special sunglasses and contact lenses to read opponents' hands. NBA coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones were among those arrested.
Entities: Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones, La Costra Nostra, Bonnano, Gambino • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
24-10-2025
Cuba has arrested Zhi Dong Zhang, a Chinese national known as 'Brother Wang', who is accused of being a major fentanyl kingpin and money launderer. Zhang escaped from house arrest in Mexico in July and was wanted by the US and Mexico. He is alleged to have worked with Mexico's Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation drug cartels and laundered at least $20 million in the US between 2020 and 2021. The arrest comes as the US continues to pressure Mexico and China to curb drug trafficking, particularly of fentanyl, which has contributed to the US opioid epidemic. Zhang's detention in Cuba has sparked speculation about his potential extradition to Mexico or the US.
Entities: Zhi Dong Zhang, Cuba, Mexico, United States, Sinaloa • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
24-10-2025
A recent investigation has uncovered a mafia-linked sports betting scheme involving insider information and sophisticated technology to place bets on NBA games. The scheme, which also included underground poker games, resulted in the arrest of dozens of people, including notable NBA personalities. Experts have revealed that cheating gadgets may have been used in the scheme. The US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced the arrests and details of the probe, which involved two major operations.
Entities: Sal Piacente, Jake Tapper, Austin Mabeus, CNN, NBA • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
24-10-2025
Dozens of people were arrested and six indicted in a mafia-linked sports betting scheme involving insider information to place bets on NBA games. US officials used puns during a press conference to describe the scheme.
Entities: NBA, US attorney, Eastern District of New York, mafia, sports betting scheme • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
24-10-2025
Brazilian social media influencer Melissa Said has been arrested for allegedly running a drug trafficking and money laundering operation. Said, who has over 340,000 Instagram followers, was the suspected leader of a major criminal gang involved in the distribution of cannabis and money laundering. She was arrested after a manhunt following a raid on her properties by the Bahia Civil Police. The investigation into her alleged involvement in drug trafficking is ongoing, and if convicted, she could face up to 25 years in prison.
Entities: Melissa Said, Brazil, Bahia, São Paulo, Instagram • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
24-10-2025
A sprawling poker scheme involving New York City mafiosos and NBA stars has been uncovered, with 31 people arrested and charged with defrauding victims out of $7 million. The scheme, which began at least by 2019, used high-tech contraptions and old-school gambling tricks to rig games, including tampered card shuffling machines, X-ray tables, and secret contact lenses. NBA players Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones were among those indicted, along with members of four of New York's Five Families. The scheme involved luring high-roller victims to secret games, where they were swindled through a combination of cheating and intimidation.
Entities: Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones, New York City, NBA, Lucchese crime family • Tone: negative • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
24-10-2025
FBI director Kash Patel criticized ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith for suggesting that President Trump was behind the recent arrests of NBA stars and coaches in an illegal sports betting scheme. Patel denied any political motivation behind the arrests, stating that he decides which cases to pursue. The arrests were part of a large-scale operation that targeted multiple mafia families and NBA teams, resulting in over $7 million in illicit gains. Smith had warned that the arrests were a sign of more crackdowns to come under the Trump administration, but Patel dismissed his comments as 'dumb' and compared him to Adam Schiff.
Entities: Kash Patel, Stephen A. Smith, President Trump, FBI, ESPN • Tone: negative • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
24-10-2025
The article discusses the growing issue of sports gambling and its corrupting influence on professional athletics, particularly in the NBA. Recent scandals involving players like Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter, who were accused of manipulating their performances to profit from bets, have highlighted the problem. The article argues that the rapid legalization of sports betting across the US has created an enormous industry that is inherently corrupting and has led to financial and familial misery for many. The author suggests that states should reconsider legalizing sports betting and restrict certain types of bets that are easily gamed.
Entities: Terry Rozier, Miami Heat, NBA, Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James • Tone: negative • Sentiment: negative • Intent: critique
24-10-2025
The NBA is embroiled in a gambling scandal involving several high-profile figures, including Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Terry Rozier, an NBA veteran. The scandal involves two separate schemes: an insider-betting scheme and an illegal poker ring run by the Mafia. The insider-betting scheme involved using non-public information about injuries and starting lineups to make fraudulent bets, while the poker ring used high-tech devices to cheat victims out of millions. The scandal threatens to cast suspicion over the integrity of the league, which has lucrative television deals and advertising contracts with legal sports-gambling companies.
Entities: Chauncey Billups, Portland Trail Blazers, Terry Rozier, Damon Jones, Mafia • Tone: negative • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
