Three former Boston Celtics players are among more than 30 people arrested in connection with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by notorious crime families, officials announced Thursday.The “wide-sweeping criminal enterprise” envelops the NBA and the crime family, La Cosa Nostra, and spans the course of years and includes charges that include wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery and illegal gambling, FBI Director Kash Patel said. “The fraud is mindboggling. It’s not hundreds of dollars. It’s not thousands of dollars. It’s not tens of thousands of dollars. It is not even millions of dollars. We are talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery,” Patel said. Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella announced indictments in two “major” cases — both involved fraud: one involves sports betting and the other illegal gambling, specifically rigged poker games.Video below: Former Celtics arrestedGuard Terry Rozier, who now plays for the Miami Heat, is accused of participating in the illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information. The conspiracy exploited confidential information about NBA athletes and teams, in “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States,” Nocella said. For example, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Rozier told a group that he planned to leave a game early on March 23, 2023, while he was playing with the Hornets.”Using that information, members of the group placed more than $200,000 in wagers on his under statistics. Rozier exited the game after just 9 minutes and those bets paid out, generating tens of thousands of dollars in profit. The proceeds were later delivered to his home, where the group counted their cash,” she said. Mike McCann studies the business of professional sports and says that Thursday’s arrests are a message from the Justice Department to professional athletes and their leagues. “The Justice Department will prosecute and will charge and this is disruptive to pro leagues because pro leagues have to make sure their games are competitive,” McCann said.Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who was drafted by the Celtics in 1997, was arrested in connection with the alleged poker operation tied to the Mafia. The poker games involved advanced technology, such as rigged shuffling machines and X-ray technology to read cards facing down on the table, Nocella said.”Your winning streak has ended. Your luck has run out. Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can bet on that,” Nocella said. Video below: Federal prosecutor describes rigged poker game case Tisch said the profits from the alleged poker scheme ran up to $7 million “and counting.”Former Boston Celtics player Damon Jones was also charged in connection with both schemes.The 34 defendants in the two alleged schemes include current and former NBA coaches and players, as well as 13 Mafia members and associates from the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese crime families, officials said. “We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” the NBA said a statement. “Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”Rozier was drafted by the Celtics in 2015 and played four seasons with Boston before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2019. Billups was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year. The five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA point guard led the Detroit Pistons to their third league title in 2004 as NBA Finals MVP. Boston drafted the former Colorado star with the No. 3 pick overall in 1997. The player known as Mr. Big Shot also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers. Billups won the Joe Dumars Trophy, the NBA’s sportsmanship award, in 2009 while playing for his hometown Denver Nuggets.”The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence, and both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention,” a spokesperson for the National Basketball Players Association said in a statement. “We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process.”The Associated Press Contributed to this report.

ORLANDO, Fla. —

Three former Boston Celtics players are among more than 30 people arrested in connection with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by notorious crime families, officials announced Thursday.

The “wide-sweeping criminal enterprise” envelops the NBA and the crime family, La Cosa Nostra, and spans the course of years and includes charges that include wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery and illegal gambling, FBI Director Kash Patel said.

“The fraud is mindboggling. It’s not hundreds of dollars. It’s not thousands of dollars. It’s not tens of thousands of dollars. It is not even millions of dollars. We are talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery,” Patel said.

Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella announced indictments in two “major” cases — both involved fraud: one involves sports betting and the other illegal gambling, specifically rigged poker games.

Video below: Former Celtics arrested

Guard Terry Rozier, who now plays for the Miami Heat, is accused of participating in the illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information.

The conspiracy exploited confidential information about NBA athletes and teams, in “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States,” Nocella said.

For example, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Rozier told a group that he planned to leave a game early on March 23, 2023, while he was playing with the Hornets.

“Using that information, members of the group placed more than $200,000 in wagers on his under statistics. Rozier exited the game after just 9 minutes and those bets paid out, generating tens of thousands of dollars in profit. The proceeds were later delivered to his home, where the group counted their cash,” she said.

Mike McCann studies the business of professional sports and says that Thursday’s arrests are a message from the Justice Department to professional athletes and their leagues.

“The Justice Department will prosecute and will charge and this is disruptive to pro leagues because pro leagues have to make sure their games are competitive,” McCann said.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who was drafted by the Celtics in 1997, was arrested in connection with the alleged poker operation tied to the Mafia.

The poker games involved advanced technology, such as rigged shuffling machines and X-ray technology to read cards facing down on the table, Nocella said.

“Your winning streak has ended. Your luck has run out. Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can bet on that,” Nocella said.

Video below: Federal prosecutor describes rigged poker game case

Tisch said the profits from the alleged poker scheme ran up to $7 million “and counting.”

Former Boston Celtics player Damon Jones was also charged in connection with both schemes.

The 34 defendants in the two alleged schemes include current and former NBA coaches and players, as well as 13 Mafia members and associates from the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese crime families, officials said.

“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” the NBA said a statement. “Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

Rozier was drafted by the Celtics in 2015 and played four seasons with Boston before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2019.

Billups was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year. The five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA point guard led the Detroit Pistons to their third league title in 2004 as NBA Finals MVP. Boston drafted the former Colorado star with the No. 3 pick overall in 1997.

The player known as Mr. Big Shot also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers. Billups won the Joe Dumars Trophy, the NBA’s sportsmanship award, in 2009 while playing for his hometown Denver Nuggets.

“The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence, and both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention,” a spokesperson for the National Basketball Players Association said in a statement. “We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process.”

The Associated Press Contributed to this report.