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The FBI and Department of Justice took down what they say is a sophisticated, tech-driven gambling ring in New York City, run by organized crime families and NBA players.
So far, the FBI has arrested 31 people in connection with the scheme, including Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Damon Jones, a former player with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. On the mob side are multiple “members and associates” of the Bonnano, Gambino, and Genovese families, the DOJ says.
Nocella at a Thursday press conference. (Credit: ANGELA WEISS / Contributor / AFP via Getty Images)
The story could be the plot of a Sopranos episode, but with more technology. The participants invited high net-worth people, who they called “fish,” to participate in illegal poker games in New York City and other undisclosed US locations. The lure was the chance to gamble alongside well-known athletes, referred to as “Face Cards.” But all the “fish” got were millions in gambling losses, with that money funneled to the organized crime families.
The mafia procured rigged gambling machines equipped with “wireless cheating technology” for poker, typically Texas Hold’em. The tech could read all the cards in the deck, and dealt them in a particular order so the machines knew which player had the winning hand.
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Remote co-conspirators would receive the information from the machine, then use their cell phone to tell someone who was playing at the table, referred to as the “Quarterback” or “Driver.” They secretly told the rest of the conspirators at the table through subtle signals, such as touching certain chips or other items on the table.
During the game, participants wore “specially designed contacts lenses and sunglasses to read the backs of playing cards, which ensured that the victims would lose big,” says US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella. They also had a chip analyzer tray, which used hidden cameras to read cards, and an X-ray system embedded in the table that could decipher cards that were face down. The conspirators used this information to place bets and ensure the “fish” lost money.
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“Collectively, the Quarterback and other players in on the scheme used this information to win poker games against unwitting victims, who sometimes lost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time,” says the DOJ.
“When people refused to pay because they were cheated, these defendants did what organized crime has always done: they used threats, intimidation, and violence,” adds NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.
All those arrested appeared in federal court this week. If you believe you were a victim of the scheme, contact 1-800-CALLFBI.
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