Damon Jones charged in alleged mafia poker and NBA betting schemes

Damon Jones’ expected guilty plea pushed the NBA gambling scandal from accusation toward accountability, and it highlighted how legalized betting culture, alleged organized-crime networks and public-facing sports figures can collide in the same federal case. The probe has already swept up more than 30 defendants in two separate indictments, one focused on rigged poker games and the other on bets placed with nonpublic NBA information.

Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York unsealed the indictments on October 23, 2025. Jones, a former Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat player who also coached in the NBA, was named in both cases, alongside Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. On April 16, 2026, court filings indicated Jones was expected to change his plea, making him the first defendant in the sports-betting case to signal a guilty plea.

The poker case alleges a sprawling cheating operation that ran in New York City, East Hampton, Las Vegas and Miami. Prosecutors said the games used wireless technology, rigged shuffling machines, and specialized contact lenses and sunglasses designed to read the backs of cards. They also said former professional athletes were used as “Face Cards” to draw in victims and were paid a cut of the proceeds. In one alleged September 2023 game in East Hampton, Jones requested a $10,000 advance and was sent $2,500 through Zelle.

The second case centers on NBA betting, where prosecutors allege Jones knew LeBron James would not play in a February 9, 2023 game between the Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks. The indictment quoted Jones telling a criminal associate, “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out!” That allegation, if proven, would show how inside injury information can be turned into a wagering edge in a market built to move fast on rumors, lineup changes and last-minute news.

Jones pleaded not guilty on November 6, 2025, but the case has since broadened into a larger test of how aggressively federal investigators are pursuing gambling corruption. NBC News reported in March that prosecutors expected plea deals for about a dozen defendants in the poker case, while the broader investigation has been tied to alleged links involving the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese crime families. For the Justice Department, the case is no longer just about one player or one bet. It is about how betting expansion has created a wider pipeline from locker-room access and celebrity status to criminal profit.