Federal prosecutors have revealed that multiple former professional athletes participated in private poker games tied to the Department of Justice’s “Operation Royal Flush.” The operation, which led to 31 arrests, targeted mafia-linked illegal poker rings across New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Miami.
NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones were identified as organizers of the high-stakes games, allegedly used to lure wealthy participants into rigged matches. Prosecutors say devices like altered shufflers, hidden cameras, and X-ray tables were used to cheat players out of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to multiple sources cited by Pablo Torre, Kevin Garnett attended one such game in Los Angeles in 2019 but reportedly believed he was going to an afterparty. The 6-foot-11 former Celtics star chose to leave the session early and has not been contacted by federal authorities.
“Victims were attracted to play alongside well-known professional athletes and coaches, only to be unknowingly deceived through rigged shuffling machines,” FBI official Christopher G. Raia said, describing the scheme as benefiting organized crime in New York.
Terry Rozier and Billups were arrested earlier this week in separate federal investigations tied to sports betting and illegal poker. Rozier allegedly provided insider NBA information to co-conspirators, while Billups ran poker games connected to the larger criminal enterprise. Both were arraigned and released on bail, with Rozier posting a $6 million home as collateral.
Shams Charania of Inside the NBA described the scope of the operation as unprecedented in professional sports. “They started as a group of a handful of co-conspirators, now it’s well over 30 arrests,” he said, noting that Rozier’s prior involvement with NBA-related betting cases helped expand the investigation.
Federal prosecutors allege that Billups and Jones acted as “face cards,” using their fame to draw participants while co-conspirators manipulated games to guarantee losses. Devices reportedly used included poker chip tray analyzers, contact lenses for marked cards, and real-time signals from off-site operators.
