Justice Department expects to extend plea deals to 12 in NBA-Mafia rigged poker case

Federal prosecutors are expected to extend plea deals to a dozen defendants in the sprawling, mob-linked poker case that led to charges against a basketball Hall of Famer and another former NBA player, according to a court document filed Tuesday

Federal prosecutors are expected to extend plea deals to a dozen defendants in the sprawling, mob-linked poker case that led to charges against a basketball Hall of Famer and another former NBA player, according to a court document filed Tuesday.

The government did not specify in the brief, which was filed ahead of a status conference Wednesday, which of the defendants are poised to receive a plea deal.

Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York indicted over 30 people in two illegal gambling cases last year: one involving the rigging of poker games allegedly backed by the Mafia and the second using nonpublic information to place bets on several NBA games.

Among those charged are members and associates of four major Mafia crime families, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and ex-NBA player Damon Jones.

Well-known former professional athletes known as “face cards” participated in the scheme and were used to lure wealthy victims to the fixed games, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said the “face cards,” Billups and Jones, were part of the “cheating teams” and “received a portion of the criminal proceeds in exchange for their participation.”