The NBA world was rocked by a string of arrests Thursday morning that saw Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier rounded up as part of a federal probe into illegal sports betting and gambling. Billups was arrested for his alleged participation in a poker game-rigging scheme tied to organized crime. Rozier was arrested as part of an illegal sports betting ring — tied to the Jontay Porter case — for his role in allegedly relaying information to bettors about his health status that allowed them to wager on prop bet unders that cashed.
The indictments for both cases were unsealed by federal law enforcement. While Billups is neither named nor charged in the indictment for the sports betting scheme, “Co-Conspirator 8” in the document appears to match his description:
Co-Conspirator 8, an individual whose identity is known to the Grand Jury, was a resident [of] Oregon. Co-Conspirator 8 was an NBA player from approximately 1997 through 2014, and an NBA coach since at least 2021.
Billups, a current Oregon resident, began his career with the Celtics in 1997 and played his last season with the Pistons in 2014, taking over as the coach of the Blazers in 2021.
Co-Conspirator 8 is accused of allegedly providing information to one of the named defendants about a March 24, 2023, game between the Trail Blazers and Bulls.
Prior to the March 24 Game, Co-Conspirator 8 told the defendant ERIC EARNEST that the Trail Blazers were going to be tanking (i.e., intentionally losing) to increase their odds of getting a better draft pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Co-Conspirator 8 told EARNEST, before the news was publicly announced, that several of the Trail Blazers’ best players, including Player 1, an individual whose identity is known to the Grand Jury, would not be playing in the March 24 Game. The information that the Trail Blazers would be tanking and not playing Player 1 was not available to the public, including the Betting Companies.
The indictment alleges two named defendants and a separate co-conspirator wagered more than $100,000 in total on the Blazers to lose. The Bulls ultimately won that game, 124-96, with Portland’s four top scorers all sitting out and Player 1’s designation moving from “probable” to “questionable” to “out” on the day’s injury reports.
NBA gambling scandal, explained: What to know as Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier get arrested, suspended
Sam Quinn
Co-Conspirator 8 does not appear elsewhere in the document, nor is it noted as one of the involved parties who made money off of the bets. That puts Co-Conspirator 8 in a different situation than Rozier, who allegedly had the cash payouts from bets he helped win from benching himself brought into his house.
This figure being listed as a co-conspirator indicates a belief that prosecutors can prove they had knowing involvement in the scheme, as opposed to being a figure from whom information originated unwittingly. Parties who provide information unknowingly are listed differently, such as an Orlando Magic player called “Player 2,” who the indictment alleges had their relationship with a co-conspirator “leveraged” for non-public information.
