October 24, 2025 • 31 mins
🏀 NBA Corruption and Gambling Scandal Key Allegations:
- A massive insider sports betting and money laundering scheme involving current and former NBA players and coaches.
- Use of non-public NBA information (e.g., injuries, lineup changes) to place fraudulent bets.
- Staged early exits from games by players to manipulate betting outcomes.
- Tens of millions of dollars allegedly laundered through various means including crypto, peer-to-peer platforms, and cash exchanges.
Notable Individuals Named:
- Chauncey Billups (current Portland Trail Blazers coach)
- Damon Jones (former NBA player and coach)
- Terry Rozier (current NBA player)
- Johntay Porter (former NBA player, already pleaded guilty)
- Others: Eric Ernest, Shane Hennon, To Niro Laster, Marvez Farley
Specific Game Fixing Examples:
- March 23, 2023: Rozier allegedly faked an injury to influence betting outcomes.
- March 24, 2023: Insider tip about Trail Blazers resting players led to $100,000 in bets.
- April 6, 2023: Magic vs. Cavaliers game manipulated via insider info.
- Multiple other games involving the Lakers and Raptors were also allegedly fixed.
♠️ Mafia-Backed Rigged Poker Games Key Details:
- A second indictment involves 31 defendants in a nationwide illegal poker ring.
- Games were rigged using high-tech cheating devices:
- Altered card shuffling machines
- X-ray tables
- Marked cards with special glasses
- Chip tray analyzers
- Victims ("fish") were lured into games with the promise of playing against former pro athletes ("face cards").
- Mob involvement from the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese crime families.
- Violence and threats were used to enforce debts, including gunpoint robberies.
🏛️ Political Commentary and White House Renovation
- The latter part of the podcast shifts to political commentary, defending President Trump and criticizing Democrats.
- Discusses White House renovations funded by private donations under Trump, contrasting it with taxpayer-funded renovations under Obama.
- Accusations of media bias and Democratic hypocrisy are prominent themes.
- Ends with commentary on the government shutdown, blaming Democrats for withholding pay from federal workers and military personnel.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Donald Trump made it clear when he was running for
president that he was going to restore law and order. Now,
a lot of people thought that would just be on
basic issues like securing the southern border. Well, we now
know the president is not playing by just picking and
choosing where he's going to enforce the law. It's for everyone,
even the rich and famous, even sports figures that are famous,
(00:23):
even coaches in the NBA. We now have new information
about the Insiders sports betting and money laundering case, this
coming out of New York. It includes wire fraud, conspiracy,
money laundering, conspiracy, and prosecutors allege that a group to
use non public NBA injury and lineup info in some
(00:48):
instances staged early exits from games to place fraudulent wagers
and then launder the proceeds. There are major names that
are involved. Name if you're a sports fan, you'll know
very quickly. Every so often something happens that reminds us
just how fragile our freedoms are. We can't afford to
(01:09):
take our rights for granted. We must draw a line
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a difference with every call you make. I want you
to hear what the FBI director had to say about
(02:54):
this as he was announcing it at the Department of Justice.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Good morning today. We are here in New York to
announce it. The historic arrests across a wide, sweeping criminal
enterprise that envelops both the NBA and Lacasa Nostra. The
men and women up here standing with me represent a
small portion of the leadership team that brought profound justice
in an era that needed it more than any I'll
(03:18):
just highlight some of the details in the case and
the FBI work, and then you'll hear from the others.
But as you now know, individuals such as Chauncey Billups,
Damon Jones, and Terry Rozier were taking into custody today
former current NBA players and coaches. What you don't know
is that this is an illegal gambling operation and sports
(03:39):
rigging operation that spanned the course of years. The FBI
led a coordinative takedown across eleven states to arrest over
thirty individuals today responsible for this case, which is very
much ongoing. Not only did we crack into the fraud
that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage of the NBA,
(04:00):
but we also entered and executed a system of justice
against lak Hasanoshra to include the Banano, Gambino, Genevesi and
Luchas crime families, and you'll hear more about those details today.
The charges and the arrests that were taken down across
this country range from wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery,
(04:21):
illegal gambling. This FBI will leave no room for any
perpetrator of crime across this country. You hear a lot
about our work of defending the homeland and crushing violent crime. Well,
this work is also representative of a colossal portion of
the FBI's mandate to keep America safe and to keep
our entertainment industry fair and secure. The men and women
(04:42):
that are standing up here today worked tireless hours, days, months,
and years, and the fraud is mind boggling. It's not
hundreds of dollars, it's not thousands of dollars it's not
tens of thousands of dollars. It's not even millions of dollars.
We're talking about tens of millions of dollars in f fraud,
and theft and robbery across a multi year investigation. And
(05:06):
we could not have done it without our inneragency partners
that are before us today, the NYPD, HSI and teams
of law enforcement officials from around the country made this
day possible. It takes a team to bring this kind
of justice, sweeping justice into the halls of the United
States courtrooms, where our brave United States Attorney has led
(05:26):
this prosecution. It takes courageous prosecutors to stand before you
and say, we will not allow this kind of illicit
activity to happen not only at the national sporting level,
but also where it hides in La Casinostra. And when
these two collided together, they perpetrated a fraud that is
(05:47):
historic in terms of not just money, but the scheme
and the deceit that they utilize to steal and swindle
people from money, to include crypto fraud. This is an
operation showcases to you that under President Trump's administration, there
is no room for any type of criminal behavior be
it on the world's largest stage or in the back
(06:09):
rooms of tiny pollers where guard games are being plugged.
We are proud to stand here today with the men
and women of the FBI and this legal team, and
to the United States Attorney, I just want to thank
you personally for taking the time to display the work
that the media is about to hear about today in detail.
As I said, it does take courageous prosecutors, but it
(06:31):
takes a courageous United States Attorney to bring this case
because we are going to take heat for it. But
we don't shy away. In this administration. We don't say no.
What we do is we bring the results across the
finish line. We bring them to the public. We bring
you accountability. And yes, they will have their day in
court and you will hear the evidence through the court
system exclusively. We will not deny anyone of due process.
(06:52):
And that's the brilliance of this system. That's the brilliance
of this administration. Everyone will be held to account.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Now, let's talk about what these indictments actually are. The
key alleged episodes from the indictment include a March twenty third,
twenty twenty three Charlotte Hornets game, Rozier allegedly told Laster
that he would leave early with a purported injury, enabling
the underprop bets to happen. Two hundred thousand wagers were placed,
(07:22):
many paid out after Roger exited at nine minutes you
look at March twenty fourth of twenty twenty three. A
day later, Portland Trailblazers versus the Bulls, Ernest allegedly passed
a tip from a then NBA coach that the top
Blazers would sit. One hundred thousand dollars was bet before
(07:44):
the news became public, yielding major winnings when the lines
then moved. April the sixth, twenty twenty three, in the
Magic versus the Cavaliers game, a tip from a Magic
player connection that starters would sit, and a bet on
the calves against the spread hit when Cleveland won by
twenty four points. February the ninth, twenty twenty three and
(08:07):
January the fifteenth, twenty twenty four, at a Lakers game,
Damon Jones allegedly sold pre release medical slash lineup info
about star players, specifically for betting. January the twenty six
and March twentieth of twenty twenty four, the rafters, John
Jay Porter Games. Porter allegedly agreed to exit early to
(08:30):
benefit the unders Long five Fam and others relaying info
that led to winning bets. Porter and Fam have already
pled guilty in a related matter. Now, this also brings
up another aspect of these cases, and that is the
mafia back connections and the rigged underground poker case as well.
(08:51):
I want you to hear more about this from the
FBI and what they had to say at the press conference.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
To be clear, we're announcing today indictments in two major cases,
both involving fraud. One involves sports betting and the other
involves illegal gambling, very specifically rigged poker games. The first
indictment involves six defendants who are alleged to have participated
(09:18):
one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online
sports betting became widely legalized in the United States. This
scheme is an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential
information about National Basketball Association athletes and teams. The second
indictment involves thirty one defendants alleged to have participated in
(09:44):
a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games. These defendants,
which include former professional athletes, used high tech cheating technology
to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground on
poker games that were secretly fixed. The games in the
New York area were backed by the Banano, Gambino and
(10:08):
Genovese crime families of La Casinostra. Well the cases are separate.
There are three overlapping defendants charged in both cases, Damon Jones,
Eric Ernest and Shane Hennen. The indictments in these cases
contain only allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until
(10:31):
they are proven guilty in a court of law. But
my message to the defendants who've been rounded up today
is this, your winning streak has ended.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
Your luck has run out.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
Bet on that.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
There's also more to this.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
The mafia backed and rigged underground poker cases and the
unsealed charges in Brooklyn are well pretty extensive seven count
indictment alleging wire fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, extortion, robbery and
related defenses tied to rigged high stakes poker games in
New York City. In the Hamptons, Las Vegas and elsewhere.
(11:15):
The DOJ says that multiple mob families backed the games.
Victims they say allegedly lost at least seven million, and
thirty one defendants were arrested across eleven different states. And
you may ask yourself the question, how did the cheating work.
What we now know is this they had altered card
(11:36):
shuffling machines and other covert tech chip tray analyzers, X
ray tables, marked card contacts and glasses, and fed the
winning hands to a quote quarterback slash driver whose signaled
teammates to ensure victims lost. Some members allegedly used threats, assaults,
(12:01):
and a gunpoint robbery connected to the operations.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Here's more about this again from the FBI.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
But my message to the defendants who've been rounded up
today is this, your winning streak has ended.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
Your luck has run out.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can
bet on that. First, I would like to talk about
United States versus Ernest, the NBA basketball gambling case. The
defendants in this case are Eric Ernest Marvez, Farley, Shane Hennon,
(12:43):
To Niro Laster, Damon Jones, a former NBA player and coach,
and Terry Rosier, a current NBA player. Other co conspirators
were previously charged for their roles in the scheme, including
former NBA player Johntay Porter. Between December twenty twenty two
(13:04):
and March twenty twenty four, these defendants perpetrated a scheme
to defraud by betting on inside, non public information about
NBA athletes and teams. The non public information included when
specific players would be sitting out future games or when
they would pull themselves out early for purported injuries or illnesses.
(13:29):
They relied on corrupt individuals, including Jones and Rosier. They
also misused information to obtained through long standing friendships that
they had with NBA players and coaches, and in at
least one instance, they got their information by threatening a
current player Porter because of his pre existing gambling debts.
(13:51):
Defendants used this non public information to place hundreds of
thousands of dollars in fraudulent bets, mostly in the form
of prop bets on individual player performance. The bets were
placed through online sportsbooks and also in person at casinos.
The defendants relied on a network of straw betters to
(14:13):
place the maximum amount of bets to increase their potential profits.
Most of these bets succeeded, and the intended losses were
in the millions of dollars. The defendants then laundered their
illegal winnings in various ways, peer to peer platforms, bank wires,
(14:33):
and simple cash exchanges. The indictment details specific examples where
the defendants profited from illegal gambling and illegal betting on
various NBA games about the performance of players on, among
other things, the Charlotte Hornets, the Portland Trailblazers, the Los
(14:55):
Angeles Lakers, and the Toronto Rangers. Each defendant in the
NBA basketball gambling case has been charged with conspiracy to
commit wirefraud and conspiracy.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
To commit money laundering.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Now, I would like to turn to the other case,
United States versus Ilo, the rigged poker game case. Beginning
as early as twenty nineteen, the defendants in this case
orchestrated a scheme to use wireless cheating technology to run
rigged poker games across the United States, including in the Hamptons,
(15:34):
Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan. The scheme targeted victims known
as quote fish, who were often lord to participate in
these rigged games by the chance to play alongside former
professional athletes who were known as quote face cards. The
(15:57):
so called face cards included the Chauncey Billips, who at
the time of the scheme was a former NBA player
and is currently the head coach of the Portland Trailblazers,
and also Damon Jones, a former NBA player and coach.
What the victims the fish didn't know is that everybody
(16:20):
else at the poker game, from the dealer to the players,
including the face cards, were in on the scam. Once
the game was underway, the defendants fleeced the victims out
of tens or hundreds of.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Thousands of dollars per game.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
The defendants used a variety of very sophisticated cheating technologies,
some of which were provided by other defendants in exchange
for a share of the profits from the scheme. For example,
they used off the shelf shuffling machines that had been
secretly altered in order to read the cards in the deck,
(17:00):
dit which player at the table had the best poker hand,
and relay that information to an off site operator.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
The off site operator.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Sent the information via cell phone back to a co
conspirator at the table, and that person at the table
was known as the quarterback. The quarterback then signaled secretly
the information he had received from others to others at
the table, and together they used that information in order
(17:34):
to win their games and to cheat the victims. Defendants
used other cheating technologies such as poker chip tray analyzers,
which is a poker chip tray that secretly reads cards
using a hidden camera, special contact lenses or eyeglasses that
(17:54):
could read pre marked cards, and an X ray table
that could read cards face down on the table. What
you see depicted on screen right now is an example of.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
The x ray table that reveals the cards.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
Although they are faced down on the table, they can
be read because of the x ray technology. The mafia,
specifically members and associates of the Banano, Gambino and Genovi's
organized crime families, had pre existing control over non rigged
illegal poker games around New York City. As a result,
(18:33):
they also became involved in the rigged poker games, helping
to organize the games and taking a cut of the
proceedings and working.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
To enforce the collection of debts.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
The defendants laundered their proceeds, including through cash exchanges, the
use of multiple shell companies, and through cryptocurrency transfers. As
part of the scheme, some of the defendants and their
co conspiracies conspirators also committed acts of violence, including the
gunpoint robbery of a person in order to obtain a
(19:07):
rigged shuffling machine, and extortions that were perpetrated against victims
in order to ensure that they repaid their gambling debts.
Defendants who participated in the rig poker scheme are charged
with wirefrog conspiracy. Other defendants have been charged with crimes
including illegal gambling, money laundering, hobzac, robbery, and extortions.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
This case demonstrates our office's.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Unrelenting commitment to fighting the scurge of organized crime in
whatever form it takes.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
It is truly incredible when you find out just how
corrupt these games were, how many people were involved. They
knew exactly what they were doing, and they knew exactly
how they were pulling it off. They knew how it
was going to take place and who their targets were.
That may be the most shocking part of all. Thank goodness,
(20:03):
the President of the United States of America has said
at the FBI, we are going to go after criminals everywhere,
whether you're trafficking children, drugs, are running illegal gambling rings.
This is obviously supporting aiding and a betting the mafia.
And that's one of the reasons why Cashptel made it
(20:24):
clear we're not stopping anytime soon. I want to move
to another fake controversy for a moment, and that is
the president United States of America doing White House renovations
and it's not costing the taxpayers any dollars, but they're
saying that Donald Trump is destroying the White House. I
want to play for you a CNN report from twenty ten.
(20:47):
In twenty ten, they were talking about the three hundred
and seventy six million dollars White House renovation during the
Obama administration that you and I as taxpayers, paid for,
and I want you to listen to how it was
celebrated on CNN. No one was accusing Obama of quote,
destroying the White House.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
Sounds like they're building another wing to the White House.
But we appreciate you keeping you.
Speaker 6 (21:12):
You could imagine to you today it's gonna happen for
the next two years. All of the banging, the jackhammering,
the dust, the confusion, the noise of all places to do.
Construction is happening right here the front lawn of the
White House. It's a four year renovation project estimated costs
three hundred and seventy six million dollars.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Three hundred and seventy six million dollars. Now you and
I paid for this, all right, I want to be clear.
Notice how jolly they were excited about it.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
They were happy that this was going on.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
No one was complaining about the White House renovations when
it cost three hundred seventy five million.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
They were spinning. It is great news.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
We also know that, yes, Barack Obama wrecked the White House,
right and he put in an indoor basketball court using
taxpayer money. But that's totally fine, right, that's totally no
big deal everything. It's totally okay. Teddy Roosevelt, by the way,
built the West wing, Taffman executive office, oval shaped FDR,
added the entire east wing, and built that indoor pool.
(22:16):
Truman actually gutted the entire White House. Nixon had a
bowling alley built, Obama had the basketball court constructed, and
Trump is now building a ballroom, except he's doing it
with his own money and donor money, which brings us
back to the ballroom blues. Sean Hannity said it brilliantly
on his show when he explained it this way.
Speaker 7 (22:38):
Since nineteen oh two, there have been at least fourteen
major renovations or additions completed by various presidents. Let's run
through them, shall we. Teddy Roosevelt built the West Wing
at the turn of the twentieth century, all tearing down
Thomas Jefferson's greenhouses. In nineteen oh nine, President William Howard
taff He added the first old office to the West Wing.
(23:01):
It was nineteen twenty seven Calvin Coolidge he conducted a
major renovation of the upper floors of the White House.
Nineteen twenty nine Hoover completely remodeled the West Wing, and
just five years later FDR remodeled the West Wing yet again,
even adding a second floor in a swimming pool indoors
and by the way, FDR nineteen forty two he built
(23:24):
out the East Wing, which is now being remodeled by
President Trump. In nineteen forty eight, Truman stripped the interior
of the White House, preserving only exterior walls. Nineteen seventy
Richard Nixon converted the swimming pool into a modern day
press briefing room. You would think the press pool would
actually realize that president after president, they have renovated, they
(23:48):
have changed, they have upgraded the White House. This includes
major changes under both Clinton and Obama. Now, the Trump
induced anger and rage on the left is beyond idiotic,
whether Democrats like it or not. One big, beautiful new ballroom,
paid for by the President himself and private donations will
soon host major historic events for decades to come without
(24:11):
spending one taxpayer penny.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
So if it's not costing your tax dollars, then what
do Democrats do next? They're lying about the president destroying
the White House, But there's got to be more there, right,
You've got to find the controversy somehow in all of this.
Well leave it to Keem Jeffries, who's now said this
on MSNBC.
Speaker 8 (24:33):
Well, any executive authority, and more likely this is part
of what Donald Trump has been doing since day one
of his presidency, running the largest pay to play scheme
in the history of the country and probably soliciting donations
from people who've got business before the United States government.
And all of this is going to have to be investigated.
(24:55):
It will all of this will have to be uncovered.
It will and these people are going to be held
accountable no matter how long it takes. That's going to
be the reality of the situation. And that's our warning
to all of these people participating in the scheming to
manipulate taxpayer dollars and of course to destroy the people's House.
(25:18):
The White House belongs to the American people. It doesn't
belong to Donald Trump.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
So there it is.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
We're launching an investigation over donor money for the ballroom renovation.
That's right, He's going to use taxpayer dollars to investigate
privately funded renovations to the White House. But they celebrated
the trashing of the White House when it was Barack
Obama who was tearing it down and rebuilding it to
the tune of three hundred plus million of your tax dours.
(25:47):
You really can't make this up. Which brings me to
the government shut down and where we are now. Yes,
it's going to be another long weekend of the government
being shut down. Why because Democrats refuse to move on it.
I want you to hear what Senator Cruz I had
to say as we were talking about the latest as
(26:08):
Democrats continue to hold America hostage, it is amazing. I
actually thought there could be some movement this week. The
radical left and the Democratic Party clearly is saying no
to that. They want to hurt people right now. It
is hurting Americans, and they don't seem to care about that.
In fact, they seem to be proud of the fact
that people are hurting.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Well they are.
Speaker 9 (26:29):
You have Democrats going on TV bragging that the shutdown
gives them leverage, although it's not clear what they want
leverage for other than their demand that illegal aliens get
free taxpayer funded healthcare, and that demand is going nowhere
and is wildly unpopular with the American people. This shutdown
is really just about politics, though. It's about the fact
(26:50):
that Chuck Schumer in March, when the Democrats worked with
Republicans to keep the government open, his left wing base
got furious and he almost lost his job. They almost
fired him. And so this is his saying screw you
to President Trump. This is hit Chuck Schumer and the
Democrats trying to prove to their radical base to everyone
who's marching in those No Kings rallies, that they hate
(27:13):
Donald Trump as much as the radicals do, and sadly
that means the government stays shut and there are a
lot of real consequences. As I said on Thursday, the Democrats,
almost straight party line, voted not to pay the federal
workers who are forced to go in and work. And
by the way, the Association of Federal Workers both active
and retired, supported this this provision. Democrats are normally always,
(27:36):
you know, always eager to be supporting federal workers. Well
they just voted none of them get paid. Next week.
Next week, we're going to vote on legislation from Dan
Sullivan that I'm a co sponsor of that will pay
our troops, pay our soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines,
and pay our coast guardsmen. And my suspicion is the
(27:57):
Democrats are going to vote no that they don't want
to pay are active duty military now. Right now, the
military is being paid because President Trump has reallocated funds
from another portion of the budget. But this is going
to be a straight up vote do you want to
pay the military or not. My suspicion is that the
Democrat Party is radical enough they'll vote no. We're also
going to vote next week on legislation I filed to
(28:21):
pay those concerned with air travel. So right now, Ben
there are roughly fifty thousand TSA workers who are going
into work and they're not getting paid. They don't get
a paycheck. There are roughly fourteen thousand air traffic controllers
who are going into work and they're not getting paid.
They don't get a paycheck. Now, the result of that,
(28:43):
we're seeing more and more flight delays, We're seeing more
and more cancelations. Just a couple of days ago, Houston's
Hobby Airport had a groundstop. They had a groundstop why
because of a shortage of air traffic controllers. And this
problem will only get worse, I'll tell you. A senior
Democrat aide told Politico that the shutdown will continue quote
(29:03):
until planes start falling from the sky. Wow, that's not
remotely funny. It is reckless, it is dangerous, and it
is imposing real costs on the American people. And so
next way, is.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
There any accountability for that individual? So far that we
know of.
Speaker 9 (29:19):
It was an anonymous quote, So I suspect we'll never
know who said that, But amazing. The bottom line is,
and by the way, if this shutdown continues through Thanksgiving,
Thanksgiving is the busiest travel time of the year. And
if the Democrats have been forcing air traffic controllers to
work for a month with no pay, you can predict
(29:41):
real shortages and delays and cancelations that will impact Americans
across this country. Now, I'll tell you something that'll make
you mad. Ben, you know who is being paid? Who's
that Democrat politicians?
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Oh yeah, because they didn't do what you did. By
the way, another Conservatives don't pay me during the shutdown.
We don't need to get paid.
Speaker 9 (30:00):
Under the Constitution. The twenty eighth Amendment to the Constitution
provides that members of Congress cannot have their salary altered
during their term in office. And so that means, constitutionally,
even when the government's shut down, members of Congress keep
their paychecks coming. Now, as you just noted, you don't
have to do that. And when this shutdown started, I
sent a letter to the Secretary of the Senate and
(30:22):
I said, please hold my paycheck, do not pay me.
I do not want to accept a penny of salary
unlessen until the government opens up. Un lesson, until our
soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines are being paid.
A lesson, until our air traffic controllers are being paid,
and all the federal workers, our border patrol agents are
being paid, our FBI agents are being paid. Virtually every
(30:44):
Democrat in the House and Senate has said, no, keep
my paycheck going. I'm going to take away yours. But me,
the Democrat politician, I need every penny of my salary.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
I promise you I'll keep you updated and posted on
exactly what happens with this shutdown, the Schumer shutdown that
is designed to hurt you and America's workers. Don't forget
to share this podcast, by the way, with your family
and your friends on social media wherever you can hit
that subscribe or auto download button, and I'll talk to
you again tomorrow.
Donald Trump made it clear when he was running for
president that he was going to restore law and order. Now,
a lot of people thought that would just be on
basic issues like securing the southern border. Well, we now
know the president is not playing by just picking and
choosing where he's going to enforce the law. It's for everyone,
even the rich and famous, even sports figures that are famous,
(00:23):
even coaches in the NBA. We now have new information
about the Insiders sports betting and money laundering case, this
coming out of New York. It includes wire fraud, conspiracy,
money laundering, conspiracy, and prosecutors allege that a group to
use non public NBA injury and lineup info in some
(00:48):
instances staged early exits from games to place fraudulent wagers
and then launder the proceeds. There are major names that
are involved. Name if you're a sports fan, you'll know
very quickly. Every so often something happens that reminds us
just how fragile our freedoms are. We can't afford to
(01:09):
take our rights for granted. We must draw a line
in the sand, and our friends at Patriot Mobile have
been doing just that for more than twelve years. The
truth is there is only one provider that boldly stands
in the gap for Americans who believe freedom is we're
fighting for, and that company is Patriot Mobile. Not only
are they leading the red economy, they're also outpacing the
(01:33):
competition and technology. Patriot Mobile is one of the only
carriers offering premium access to all three major US networks,
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on day after day. They also offer unlimited data plans,
mobile hotspots, international roaming, internet backup, and so much more.
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And switching has never been easier. You can activate in
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and you keep your same number. You've got now keep
your same phone, or upgrade to a new one. And
this is where the magic happens. Every month, about five
percent of your bill is given back to conservative causes
at no extra cost to you that stand up for
(02:17):
our First and our Second Amendment rights, the rights of
unborn children, and are wounded warriors and those that have
fought for a country and wear a badge. So take
a stand today and make a difference with every call
you make.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Patriot Mobile dot.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Com slash ferguson or nine seven to two Patriot. Use
the promo code ferguson for a free month of service
as well. That's Patriotmobile dot com slash ferguson or nine
seven to two Patriot and make the switch and make
a difference with every call you make. I want you
to hear what the FBI director had to say about
(02:54):
this as he was announcing it at the Department of Justice.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Good morning today. We are here in New York to
announce it. The historic arrests across a wide, sweeping criminal
enterprise that envelops both the NBA and Lacasa Nostra. The
men and women up here standing with me represent a
small portion of the leadership team that brought profound justice
in an era that needed it more than any I'll
(03:18):
just highlight some of the details in the case and
the FBI work, and then you'll hear from the others.
But as you now know, individuals such as Chauncey Billups,
Damon Jones, and Terry Rozier were taking into custody today
former current NBA players and coaches. What you don't know
is that this is an illegal gambling operation and sports
(03:39):
rigging operation that spanned the course of years. The FBI
led a coordinative takedown across eleven states to arrest over
thirty individuals today responsible for this case, which is very
much ongoing. Not only did we crack into the fraud
that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage of the NBA,
(04:00):
but we also entered and executed a system of justice
against lak Hasanoshra to include the Banano, Gambino, Genevesi and
Luchas crime families, and you'll hear more about those details today.
The charges and the arrests that were taken down across
this country range from wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery,
(04:21):
illegal gambling. This FBI will leave no room for any
perpetrator of crime across this country. You hear a lot
about our work of defending the homeland and crushing violent crime. Well,
this work is also representative of a colossal portion of
the FBI's mandate to keep America safe and to keep
our entertainment industry fair and secure. The men and women
(04:42):
that are standing up here today worked tireless hours, days, months,
and years, and the fraud is mind boggling. It's not
hundreds of dollars, it's not thousands of dollars it's not
tens of thousands of dollars. It's not even millions of dollars.
We're talking about tens of millions of dollars in f fraud,
and theft and robbery across a multi year investigation. And
(05:06):
we could not have done it without our inneragency partners
that are before us today, the NYPD, HSI and teams
of law enforcement officials from around the country made this
day possible. It takes a team to bring this kind
of justice, sweeping justice into the halls of the United
States courtrooms, where our brave United States Attorney has led
(05:26):
this prosecution. It takes courageous prosecutors to stand before you
and say, we will not allow this kind of illicit
activity to happen not only at the national sporting level,
but also where it hides in La Casinostra. And when
these two collided together, they perpetrated a fraud that is
(05:47):
historic in terms of not just money, but the scheme
and the deceit that they utilize to steal and swindle
people from money, to include crypto fraud. This is an
operation showcases to you that under President Trump's administration, there
is no room for any type of criminal behavior be
it on the world's largest stage or in the back
(06:09):
rooms of tiny pollers where guard games are being plugged.
We are proud to stand here today with the men
and women of the FBI and this legal team, and
to the United States Attorney, I just want to thank
you personally for taking the time to display the work
that the media is about to hear about today in detail.
As I said, it does take courageous prosecutors, but it
(06:31):
takes a courageous United States Attorney to bring this case
because we are going to take heat for it. But
we don't shy away. In this administration. We don't say no.
What we do is we bring the results across the
finish line. We bring them to the public. We bring
you accountability. And yes, they will have their day in
court and you will hear the evidence through the court
system exclusively. We will not deny anyone of due process.
(06:52):
And that's the brilliance of this system. That's the brilliance
of this administration. Everyone will be held to account.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Now, let's talk about what these indictments actually are. The
key alleged episodes from the indictment include a March twenty third,
twenty twenty three Charlotte Hornets game, Rozier allegedly told Laster
that he would leave early with a purported injury, enabling
the underprop bets to happen. Two hundred thousand wagers were placed,
(07:22):
many paid out after Roger exited at nine minutes you
look at March twenty fourth of twenty twenty three. A
day later, Portland Trailblazers versus the Bulls, Ernest allegedly passed
a tip from a then NBA coach that the top
Blazers would sit. One hundred thousand dollars was bet before
(07:44):
the news became public, yielding major winnings when the lines
then moved. April the sixth, twenty twenty three, in the
Magic versus the Cavaliers game, a tip from a Magic
player connection that starters would sit, and a bet on
the calves against the spread hit when Cleveland won by
twenty four points. February the ninth, twenty twenty three and
(08:07):
January the fifteenth, twenty twenty four, at a Lakers game,
Damon Jones allegedly sold pre release medical slash lineup info
about star players, specifically for betting. January the twenty six
and March twentieth of twenty twenty four, the rafters, John
Jay Porter Games. Porter allegedly agreed to exit early to
(08:30):
benefit the unders Long five Fam and others relaying info
that led to winning bets. Porter and Fam have already
pled guilty in a related matter. Now, this also brings
up another aspect of these cases, and that is the
mafia back connections and the rigged underground poker case as well.
(08:51):
I want you to hear more about this from the
FBI and what they had to say at the press conference.
Speaker 4 (08:57):
To be clear, we're announcing today indictments in two major cases,
both involving fraud. One involves sports betting and the other
involves illegal gambling, very specifically rigged poker games. The first
indictment involves six defendants who are alleged to have participated
(09:18):
one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online
sports betting became widely legalized in the United States. This
scheme is an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential
information about National Basketball Association athletes and teams. The second
indictment involves thirty one defendants alleged to have participated in
(09:44):
a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games. These defendants,
which include former professional athletes, used high tech cheating technology
to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground on
poker games that were secretly fixed. The games in the
New York area were backed by the Banano, Gambino and
(10:08):
Genovese crime families of La Casinostra. Well the cases are separate.
There are three overlapping defendants charged in both cases, Damon Jones,
Eric Ernest and Shane Hennen. The indictments in these cases
contain only allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until
(10:31):
they are proven guilty in a court of law. But
my message to the defendants who've been rounded up today
is this, your winning streak has ended.
Speaker 5 (10:41):
Your luck has run out.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
Bet on that.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
There's also more to this.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
The mafia backed and rigged underground poker cases and the
unsealed charges in Brooklyn are well pretty extensive seven count
indictment alleging wire fraud, conspiracy, money laundering, extortion, robbery and
related defenses tied to rigged high stakes poker games in
New York City. In the Hamptons, Las Vegas and elsewhere.
(11:15):
The DOJ says that multiple mob families backed the games.
Victims they say allegedly lost at least seven million, and
thirty one defendants were arrested across eleven different states. And
you may ask yourself the question, how did the cheating work.
What we now know is this they had altered card
(11:36):
shuffling machines and other covert tech chip tray analyzers, X
ray tables, marked card contacts and glasses, and fed the
winning hands to a quote quarterback slash driver whose signaled
teammates to ensure victims lost. Some members allegedly used threats, assaults,
(12:01):
and a gunpoint robbery connected to the operations.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Here's more about this again from the FBI.
Speaker 4 (12:10):
But my message to the defendants who've been rounded up
today is this, your winning streak has ended.
Speaker 5 (12:17):
Your luck has run out.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can
bet on that. First, I would like to talk about
United States versus Ernest, the NBA basketball gambling case. The
defendants in this case are Eric Ernest Marvez, Farley, Shane Hennon,
(12:43):
To Niro Laster, Damon Jones, a former NBA player and coach,
and Terry Rosier, a current NBA player. Other co conspirators
were previously charged for their roles in the scheme, including
former NBA player Johntay Porter. Between December twenty twenty two
(13:04):
and March twenty twenty four, these defendants perpetrated a scheme
to defraud by betting on inside, non public information about
NBA athletes and teams. The non public information included when
specific players would be sitting out future games or when
they would pull themselves out early for purported injuries or illnesses.
(13:29):
They relied on corrupt individuals, including Jones and Rosier. They
also misused information to obtained through long standing friendships that
they had with NBA players and coaches, and in at
least one instance, they got their information by threatening a
current player Porter because of his pre existing gambling debts.
(13:51):
Defendants used this non public information to place hundreds of
thousands of dollars in fraudulent bets, mostly in the form
of prop bets on individual player performance. The bets were
placed through online sportsbooks and also in person at casinos.
The defendants relied on a network of straw betters to
(14:13):
place the maximum amount of bets to increase their potential profits.
Most of these bets succeeded, and the intended losses were
in the millions of dollars. The defendants then laundered their
illegal winnings in various ways, peer to peer platforms, bank wires,
(14:33):
and simple cash exchanges. The indictment details specific examples where
the defendants profited from illegal gambling and illegal betting on
various NBA games about the performance of players on, among
other things, the Charlotte Hornets, the Portland Trailblazers, the Los
(14:55):
Angeles Lakers, and the Toronto Rangers. Each defendant in the
NBA basketball gambling case has been charged with conspiracy to
commit wirefraud and conspiracy.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
To commit money laundering.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Now, I would like to turn to the other case,
United States versus Ilo, the rigged poker game case. Beginning
as early as twenty nineteen, the defendants in this case
orchestrated a scheme to use wireless cheating technology to run
rigged poker games across the United States, including in the Hamptons,
(15:34):
Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan. The scheme targeted victims known
as quote fish, who were often lord to participate in
these rigged games by the chance to play alongside former
professional athletes who were known as quote face cards. The
(15:57):
so called face cards included the Chauncey Billips, who at
the time of the scheme was a former NBA player
and is currently the head coach of the Portland Trailblazers,
and also Damon Jones, a former NBA player and coach.
What the victims the fish didn't know is that everybody
(16:20):
else at the poker game, from the dealer to the players,
including the face cards, were in on the scam. Once
the game was underway, the defendants fleeced the victims out
of tens or hundreds of.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Thousands of dollars per game.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
The defendants used a variety of very sophisticated cheating technologies,
some of which were provided by other defendants in exchange
for a share of the profits from the scheme. For example,
they used off the shelf shuffling machines that had been
secretly altered in order to read the cards in the deck,
(17:00):
dit which player at the table had the best poker hand,
and relay that information to an off site operator.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
The off site operator.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Sent the information via cell phone back to a co
conspirator at the table, and that person at the table
was known as the quarterback. The quarterback then signaled secretly
the information he had received from others to others at
the table, and together they used that information in order
(17:34):
to win their games and to cheat the victims. Defendants
used other cheating technologies such as poker chip tray analyzers,
which is a poker chip tray that secretly reads cards
using a hidden camera, special contact lenses or eyeglasses that
(17:54):
could read pre marked cards, and an X ray table
that could read cards face down on the table. What
you see depicted on screen right now is an example of.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
The x ray table that reveals the cards.
Speaker 4 (18:10):
Although they are faced down on the table, they can
be read because of the x ray technology. The mafia,
specifically members and associates of the Banano, Gambino and Genovi's
organized crime families, had pre existing control over non rigged
illegal poker games around New York City. As a result,
(18:33):
they also became involved in the rigged poker games, helping
to organize the games and taking a cut of the
proceedings and working.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
To enforce the collection of debts.
Speaker 4 (18:45):
The defendants laundered their proceeds, including through cash exchanges, the
use of multiple shell companies, and through cryptocurrency transfers. As
part of the scheme, some of the defendants and their
co conspiracies conspirators also committed acts of violence, including the
gunpoint robbery of a person in order to obtain a
(19:07):
rigged shuffling machine, and extortions that were perpetrated against victims
in order to ensure that they repaid their gambling debts.
Defendants who participated in the rig poker scheme are charged
with wirefrog conspiracy. Other defendants have been charged with crimes
including illegal gambling, money laundering, hobzac, robbery, and extortions.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
This case demonstrates our office's.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
Unrelenting commitment to fighting the scurge of organized crime in
whatever form it takes.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
It is truly incredible when you find out just how
corrupt these games were, how many people were involved. They
knew exactly what they were doing, and they knew exactly
how they were pulling it off. They knew how it
was going to take place and who their targets were.
That may be the most shocking part of all. Thank goodness,
(20:03):
the President of the United States of America has said
at the FBI, we are going to go after criminals everywhere,
whether you're trafficking children, drugs, are running illegal gambling rings.
This is obviously supporting aiding and a betting the mafia.
And that's one of the reasons why Cashptel made it
(20:24):
clear we're not stopping anytime soon. I want to move
to another fake controversy for a moment, and that is
the president United States of America doing White House renovations
and it's not costing the taxpayers any dollars, but they're
saying that Donald Trump is destroying the White House. I
want to play for you a CNN report from twenty ten.
(20:47):
In twenty ten, they were talking about the three hundred
and seventy six million dollars White House renovation during the
Obama administration that you and I as taxpayers, paid for,
and I want you to listen to how it was
celebrated on CNN. No one was accusing Obama of quote,
destroying the White House.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
Sounds like they're building another wing to the White House.
But we appreciate you keeping you.
Speaker 6 (21:12):
You could imagine to you today it's gonna happen for
the next two years. All of the banging, the jackhammering,
the dust, the confusion, the noise of all places to do.
Construction is happening right here the front lawn of the
White House. It's a four year renovation project estimated costs
three hundred and seventy six million dollars.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Three hundred and seventy six million dollars. Now you and
I paid for this, all right, I want to be clear.
Notice how jolly they were excited about it.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
They were happy that this was going on.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
No one was complaining about the White House renovations when
it cost three hundred seventy five million.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
They were spinning. It is great news.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
We also know that, yes, Barack Obama wrecked the White House,
right and he put in an indoor basketball court using
taxpayer money. But that's totally fine, right, that's totally no
big deal everything. It's totally okay. Teddy Roosevelt, by the way,
built the West wing, Taffman executive office, oval shaped FDR,
added the entire east wing, and built that indoor pool.
(22:16):
Truman actually gutted the entire White House. Nixon had a
bowling alley built, Obama had the basketball court constructed, and
Trump is now building a ballroom, except he's doing it
with his own money and donor money, which brings us
back to the ballroom blues. Sean Hannity said it brilliantly
on his show when he explained it this way.
Speaker 7 (22:38):
Since nineteen oh two, there have been at least fourteen
major renovations or additions completed by various presidents. Let's run
through them, shall we. Teddy Roosevelt built the West Wing
at the turn of the twentieth century, all tearing down
Thomas Jefferson's greenhouses. In nineteen oh nine, President William Howard
taff He added the first old office to the West Wing.
(23:01):
It was nineteen twenty seven Calvin Coolidge he conducted a
major renovation of the upper floors of the White House.
Nineteen twenty nine Hoover completely remodeled the West Wing, and
just five years later FDR remodeled the West Wing yet again,
even adding a second floor in a swimming pool indoors
and by the way, FDR nineteen forty two he built
(23:24):
out the East Wing, which is now being remodeled by
President Trump. In nineteen forty eight, Truman stripped the interior
of the White House, preserving only exterior walls. Nineteen seventy
Richard Nixon converted the swimming pool into a modern day
press briefing room. You would think the press pool would
actually realize that president after president, they have renovated, they
(23:48):
have changed, they have upgraded the White House. This includes
major changes under both Clinton and Obama. Now, the Trump
induced anger and rage on the left is beyond idiotic,
whether Democrats like it or not. One big, beautiful new ballroom,
paid for by the President himself and private donations will
soon host major historic events for decades to come without
(24:11):
spending one taxpayer penny.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
So if it's not costing your tax dollars, then what
do Democrats do next? They're lying about the president destroying
the White House, But there's got to be more there, right,
You've got to find the controversy somehow in all of this.
Well leave it to Keem Jeffries, who's now said this
on MSNBC.
Speaker 8 (24:33):
Well, any executive authority, and more likely this is part
of what Donald Trump has been doing since day one
of his presidency, running the largest pay to play scheme
in the history of the country and probably soliciting donations
from people who've got business before the United States government.
And all of this is going to have to be investigated.
(24:55):
It will all of this will have to be uncovered.
It will and these people are going to be held
accountable no matter how long it takes. That's going to
be the reality of the situation. And that's our warning
to all of these people participating in the scheming to
manipulate taxpayer dollars and of course to destroy the people's House.
(25:18):
The White House belongs to the American people. It doesn't
belong to Donald Trump.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
So there it is.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
We're launching an investigation over donor money for the ballroom renovation.
That's right, He's going to use taxpayer dollars to investigate
privately funded renovations to the White House. But they celebrated
the trashing of the White House when it was Barack
Obama who was tearing it down and rebuilding it to
the tune of three hundred plus million of your tax dours.
(25:47):
You really can't make this up. Which brings me to
the government shut down and where we are now. Yes,
it's going to be another long weekend of the government
being shut down. Why because Democrats refuse to move on it.
I want you to hear what Senator Cruz I had
to say as we were talking about the latest as
(26:08):
Democrats continue to hold America hostage, it is amazing. I
actually thought there could be some movement this week. The
radical left and the Democratic Party clearly is saying no
to that. They want to hurt people right now. It
is hurting Americans, and they don't seem to care about that.
In fact, they seem to be proud of the fact
that people are hurting.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Well they are.
Speaker 9 (26:29):
You have Democrats going on TV bragging that the shutdown
gives them leverage, although it's not clear what they want
leverage for other than their demand that illegal aliens get
free taxpayer funded healthcare, and that demand is going nowhere
and is wildly unpopular with the American people. This shutdown
is really just about politics, though. It's about the fact
(26:50):
that Chuck Schumer in March, when the Democrats worked with
Republicans to keep the government open, his left wing base
got furious and he almost lost his job. They almost
fired him. And so this is his saying screw you
to President Trump. This is hit Chuck Schumer and the
Democrats trying to prove to their radical base to everyone
who's marching in those No Kings rallies, that they hate
(27:13):
Donald Trump as much as the radicals do, and sadly
that means the government stays shut and there are a
lot of real consequences. As I said on Thursday, the Democrats,
almost straight party line, voted not to pay the federal
workers who are forced to go in and work. And
by the way, the Association of Federal Workers both active
and retired, supported this this provision. Democrats are normally always,
(27:36):
you know, always eager to be supporting federal workers. Well
they just voted none of them get paid. Next week.
Next week, we're going to vote on legislation from Dan
Sullivan that I'm a co sponsor of that will pay
our troops, pay our soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines,
and pay our coast guardsmen. And my suspicion is the
(27:57):
Democrats are going to vote no that they don't want
to pay are active duty military now. Right now, the
military is being paid because President Trump has reallocated funds
from another portion of the budget. But this is going
to be a straight up vote do you want to
pay the military or not. My suspicion is that the
Democrat Party is radical enough they'll vote no. We're also
going to vote next week on legislation I filed to
(28:21):
pay those concerned with air travel. So right now, Ben
there are roughly fifty thousand TSA workers who are going
into work and they're not getting paid. They don't get
a paycheck. There are roughly fourteen thousand air traffic controllers
who are going into work and they're not getting paid.
They don't get a paycheck. Now, the result of that,
(28:43):
we're seeing more and more flight delays, We're seeing more
and more cancelations. Just a couple of days ago, Houston's
Hobby Airport had a groundstop. They had a groundstop why
because of a shortage of air traffic controllers. And this
problem will only get worse, I'll tell you. A senior
Democrat aide told Politico that the shutdown will continue quote
(29:03):
until planes start falling from the sky. Wow, that's not
remotely funny. It is reckless, it is dangerous, and it
is imposing real costs on the American people. And so
next way, is.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
There any accountability for that individual? So far that we
know of.
Speaker 9 (29:19):
It was an anonymous quote, So I suspect we'll never
know who said that, But amazing. The bottom line is,
and by the way, if this shutdown continues through Thanksgiving,
Thanksgiving is the busiest travel time of the year. And
if the Democrats have been forcing air traffic controllers to
work for a month with no pay, you can predict
(29:41):
real shortages and delays and cancelations that will impact Americans
across this country. Now, I'll tell you something that'll make
you mad. Ben, you know who is being paid? Who's
that Democrat politicians?
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Oh yeah, because they didn't do what you did. By
the way, another Conservatives don't pay me during the shutdown.
We don't need to get paid.
Speaker 9 (30:00):
Under the Constitution. The twenty eighth Amendment to the Constitution
provides that members of Congress cannot have their salary altered
during their term in office. And so that means, constitutionally,
even when the government's shut down, members of Congress keep
their paychecks coming. Now, as you just noted, you don't
have to do that. And when this shutdown started, I
sent a letter to the Secretary of the Senate and
(30:22):
I said, please hold my paycheck, do not pay me.
I do not want to accept a penny of salary
unlessen until the government opens up. Un lesson, until our
soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines are being paid.
A lesson, until our air traffic controllers are being paid,
and all the federal workers, our border patrol agents are
being paid, our FBI agents are being paid. Virtually every
(30:44):
Democrat in the House and Senate has said, no, keep
my paycheck going. I'm going to take away yours. But me,
the Democrat politician, I need every penny of my salary.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
I promise you I'll keep you updated and posted on
exactly what happens with this shutdown, the Schumer shutdown that
is designed to hurt you and America's workers. Don't forget
to share this podcast, by the way, with your family
and your friends on social media wherever you can hit
that subscribe or auto download button, and I'll talk to
you again tomorrow.
Host
Ben Ferguson
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