October 28, 2025 • 26 mins
🏛️ 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.
🏀 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.
🏀 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
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
I think it's fair to say the Democrats, and I'm
talking about those that are elected, are officially as unhinged
as the radical extremists in their party. Why would I
say that, Well, let's just look at the list of
unhinged things Democrats have been doing. You know, just over
the last couple of weeks, they shut down the government,
leaving federal workers unpaid, to then demand free health care
(00:26):
to illegal immigrants, and now they've decided to become even
more unhinged. I want to move to another fake controversy
for a moment, and that is the president units it's
of America doing White House renovations and it's not costing
taxpayers any dollars, but they're saying that Donald Trump is
destroying the White House. I want to play for you
(00:47):
a CNN report from twenty ten. In twenty ten, they
were talking about the three hundred and seventy six million
dollars White House renovation during the Obah administration that you
and I as taxpayers, paid for, and I want you
to listen to how it was celebrated on CNN. No
(01:08):
one was accusing Obama of quote, destroying the White House.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Sounds like they're building another wing to the White House.
But we appreciate you keeping you.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
You could imagine to you today it's going to 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 (01:37):
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 4 (01:46):
They were happy that this was going on.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
No one was complaining about the White House renovations when
it costs three hundred seventy five million they were spending
it is great news. We also know that yes back
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,
(02:11):
by the way, built the West wing, Taffman Executive office,
oval shaped FDR, added the entire east wing, and built
that indoor pool. 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
(02:32):
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 5 (02:42):
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. Nineteen oh nine, President William Howard taff
(03:02):
he added the first oval office to the West Wing.
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.
(03:24):
And by the way, FDR nineteen forty two he built
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
(03:45):
press briefing room. You would think the press pool would
actually realize that president after president, they have renovated, they
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,
and whether Democrats like it or not, one big, beautiful
(04:06):
new ballroom, paid for by the President himself and private
donations will soon host major historic events for decades to
come without spending one taxpayer penny.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
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 6 (04:35):
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.
(04:58):
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 this scheming to
manipulate taxpayer dollars and of course to destroy the people's House.
(05:20):
The White House belongs to the American people. It doesn't
belong to Donald Trump.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
So there it is.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
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.
(05:49):
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dot com. 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
(08:21):
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, even coaches in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
We now have new.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
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 instances,
(08:56):
staged early exits from games to place frauds and then
launder the proceeds. There are major names that are involved.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Names.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
If you're a sports fan, you'll know very quickly. I
want you to hear what the FBI director had to
say about this as he was announcing it at the
Department of Justice.
Speaker 7 (09:17):
Good morning today. We are here in New York to
announce a 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 just
(09:38):
highlight some of the 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
(09:58):
and sports rigging operation, and 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
(10:19):
of the NBA, but we also entered and executed a
system of justice against La Casinoshra to include the Bonano, 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,
(10:40):
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 fail and secure. The men and women
(11:02):
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 fraud
and theft and robbery across a multi year investigation. And
(11:26):
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
(11:46):
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
(12:07):
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.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
This is an.
Speaker 7 (12:19):
Operation that 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 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
(12:39):
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
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.
(13:00):
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.
And that's the brilliance of this system. That's the brilliance
of this administration. Everyone will be held to account.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
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 replaced
(13:42):
many paid out after Roser 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 tops
would sit. One hundred thousand dollars was bet before the
(14:04):
news became public, yielding major winnings when the lines then moved.
April 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 Cavs against
the spread hit when Cleveland won by twenty four points.
(14:24):
February the ninth, twenty twenty three and 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 raptors, John Day Porter Games
(14:47):
Porter allegedly agreed to exit early to benefit the unders
Long five Fam and others, relaying info that led to
winning bets. Porter and Fam have already played guilty in
a related matter. Now, this also brings up another aspect
of these cases, and that is the mafia back connections
(15:08):
and the rigged underground poker case as well. I want
you to hear more about this from the FBI and
what they had to say at the press conference.
Speaker 8 (15:17):
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
(15:38):
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
(16:04):
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 poker
games that were secretly fixed. The games in the New
York area were backed by the Banano, Gambino, and Genovesei
(16:29):
crime families of Lakasa Nostra. While 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
(16:51):
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 2 (17:01):
Your luck has run out.
Speaker 8 (17:03):
Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can
bet on that.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
You can bet on that.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
There's also more to this 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,
(17:35):
Las Vegas, and elsewhere. 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
(17:56):
this they had altered card 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.
(18:19):
Some members allegedly use threats, assaults, and a gunpoint robbery
connected to the operations.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Here's more about this again from the FBI.
Speaker 8 (18:32):
But my message to the defendants who've been rounded up
today is this, your winning streak has ended, Your luck
has run out, violating the law is a losing proposition
and you can bet on that. First, I would like
to talk about the United States versus Ernest the NBA
(18:54):
basketball gambling case. The defendants in this case are Eric Earn,
Marvez Farley, Shane Hennon, de 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
(19:18):
roles in the scheme, including former NBA player Johntay Porter.
Between December twenty twenty two 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
(19:40):
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. 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
(20:02):
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. 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.
(20:25):
The bets were placed through online sportsbooks and also in
person at casinos. The defendants relied on a network of
straw betters to 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
(20:48):
defendants then laundered their illegal winnings in various ways, peer
to peer platforms, bank wires, and simple cash exchanges. Stment
details specific examples where the defendants profited from illegal gambling
and illegal betting on various NBA games about the performance
(21:10):
of players on, among other things, the Charlotte Hornets, the
Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
And the Toronto Rangers.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
Each defendant in the NBA basketball gambling case has been
charged with conspiracy to commit wirefraud and conspiracy.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
To commit money laundering.
Speaker 8 (21:32):
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,
(21:56):
Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan. The scheme targeted victims known
as quote phish, 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
(22:19):
so called face cards included the defendant 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
(22:42):
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.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Of thousands of dollars per game.
Speaker 8 (22:59):
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,
(23:22):
predict which player at the table had the best poker hand,
and relay that information to an off site operator. The
off site operator 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
(23:46):
then signaled secretly the information he had received from others
to others at the table, and together they used that
information in order 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
(24:09):
secretly reads cards using a hidden camera, special contact lenses
or eyeglasses that 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 the.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
X ray table that reveals the cards.
Speaker 8 (24:32):
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,
(24:55):
they also became involved in the rigged poker games, helping
to organize games and taking a cut of the proceedings
and working.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
To enforce the collection of debts.
Speaker 8 (25:07):
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 CONSPI conspirators also committed acts of violence, including the
gunpoint robbery of a person in order to obtain a
(25:30):
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 wirefraud conspiracy. Other defendants have been charged with crimes
including illegal gambling, money laundering, hobzac, robbery, and extortions. This
(25:55):
case demonstrates our office's unrelenting commitment to the scourge of
organized crime in whatever form it takes.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
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,
(26:25):
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, or running illegal gambling rings.
This was obviously supporting, aiding, and abetting the mafia, and
that's one of the reasons why cash Betel made it
(26:46):
clear we're not stopping anytime soon.
I think it's fair to say the Democrats, and I'm
talking about those that are elected, are officially as unhinged
as the radical extremists in their party. Why would I
say that, Well, let's just look at the list of
unhinged things Democrats have been doing. You know, just over
the last couple of weeks, they shut down the government,
leaving federal workers unpaid, to then demand free health care
(00:26):
to illegal immigrants, and now they've decided to become even
more unhinged. I want to move to another fake controversy
for a moment, and that is the president units it's
of America doing White House renovations and it's not costing
taxpayers any dollars, but they're saying that Donald Trump is
destroying the White House. I want to play for you
(00:47):
a CNN report from twenty ten. In twenty ten, they
were talking about the three hundred and seventy six million
dollars White House renovation during the Obah administration that you
and I as taxpayers, paid for, and I want you
to listen to how it was celebrated on CNN. No
(01:08):
one was accusing Obama of quote, destroying the White House.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Sounds like they're building another wing to the White House.
But we appreciate you keeping you.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
You could imagine to you today it's going to 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 (01:37):
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 4 (01:46):
They were happy that this was going on.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
No one was complaining about the White House renovations when
it costs three hundred seventy five million they were spending
it is great news. We also know that yes back
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,
(02:11):
by the way, built the West wing, Taffman Executive office,
oval shaped FDR, added the entire east wing, and built
that indoor pool. 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
(02:32):
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 5 (02:42):
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. Nineteen oh nine, President William Howard taff
(03:02):
he added the first oval office to the West Wing.
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.
(03:24):
And by the way, FDR nineteen forty two he built
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
(03:45):
press briefing room. You would think the press pool would
actually realize that president after president, they have renovated, they
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,
and whether Democrats like it or not, one big, beautiful
(04:06):
new ballroom, paid for by the President himself and private
donations will soon host major historic events for decades to
come without spending one taxpayer penny.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
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 6 (04:35):
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.
(04:58):
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 this scheming to
manipulate taxpayer dollars and of course to destroy the people's House.
(05:20):
The White House belongs to the American people. It doesn't
belong to Donald Trump.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
So there it is.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
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.
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dot com. 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
(08:21):
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, even coaches in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
We now have new.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
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 instances,
(08:56):
staged early exits from games to place frauds and then
launder the proceeds. There are major names that are involved.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Names.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
If you're a sports fan, you'll know very quickly. I
want you to hear what the FBI director had to
say about this as he was announcing it at the
Department of Justice.
Speaker 7 (09:17):
Good morning today. We are here in New York to
announce a 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 just
(09:38):
highlight some of the 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
(09:58):
and sports rigging operation, and 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
(10:19):
of the NBA, but we also entered and executed a
system of justice against La Casinoshra to include the Bonano, 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,
(10:40):
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 fail and secure. The men and women
(11:02):
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 fraud
and theft and robbery across a multi year investigation. And
(11:26):
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
(11:46):
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
(12:07):
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.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
This is an.
Speaker 7 (12:19):
Operation that 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 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
(12:39):
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
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.
(13:00):
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.
And that's the brilliance of this system. That's the brilliance
of this administration. Everyone will be held to account.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
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 replaced
(13:42):
many paid out after Roser 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 tops
would sit. One hundred thousand dollars was bet before the
(14:04):
news became public, yielding major winnings when the lines then moved.
April 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 Cavs against
the spread hit when Cleveland won by twenty four points.
(14:24):
February the ninth, twenty twenty three and 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 raptors, John Day Porter Games
(14:47):
Porter allegedly agreed to exit early to benefit the unders
Long five Fam and others, relaying info that led to
winning bets. Porter and Fam have already played guilty in
a related matter. Now, this also brings up another aspect
of these cases, and that is the mafia back connections
(15:08):
and the rigged underground poker case as well. I want
you to hear more about this from the FBI and
what they had to say at the press conference.
Speaker 8 (15:17):
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
(15:38):
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
(16:04):
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 poker
games that were secretly fixed. The games in the New
York area were backed by the Banano, Gambino, and Genovesei
(16:29):
crime families of Lakasa Nostra. While 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
(16:51):
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 2 (17:01):
Your luck has run out.
Speaker 8 (17:03):
Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can
bet on that.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
You can bet on that.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
There's also more to this 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,
(17:35):
Las Vegas, and elsewhere. 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
(17:56):
this they had altered card 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.
(18:19):
Some members allegedly use threats, assaults, and a gunpoint robbery
connected to the operations.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Here's more about this again from the FBI.
Speaker 8 (18:32):
But my message to the defendants who've been rounded up
today is this, your winning streak has ended, Your luck
has run out, violating the law is a losing proposition
and you can bet on that. First, I would like
to talk about the United States versus Ernest the NBA
(18:54):
basketball gambling case. The defendants in this case are Eric Earn,
Marvez Farley, Shane Hennon, de 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
(19:18):
roles in the scheme, including former NBA player Johntay Porter.
Between December twenty twenty two 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
(19:40):
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. 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
(20:02):
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. 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.
(20:25):
The bets were placed through online sportsbooks and also in
person at casinos. The defendants relied on a network of
straw betters to 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
(20:48):
defendants then laundered their illegal winnings in various ways, peer
to peer platforms, bank wires, and simple cash exchanges. Stment
details specific examples where the defendants profited from illegal gambling
and illegal betting on various NBA games about the performance
(21:10):
of players on, among other things, the Charlotte Hornets, the
Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
And the Toronto Rangers.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
Each defendant in the NBA basketball gambling case has been
charged with conspiracy to commit wirefraud and conspiracy.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
To commit money laundering.
Speaker 8 (21:32):
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,
(21:56):
Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan. The scheme targeted victims known
as quote phish, 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
(22:19):
so called face cards included the defendant 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
(22:42):
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.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Of thousands of dollars per game.
Speaker 8 (22:59):
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,
(23:22):
predict which player at the table had the best poker hand,
and relay that information to an off site operator. The
off site operator 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
(23:46):
then signaled secretly the information he had received from others
to others at the table, and together they used that
information in order 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
(24:09):
secretly reads cards using a hidden camera, special contact lenses
or eyeglasses that 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 the.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
X ray table that reveals the cards.
Speaker 8 (24:32):
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,
(24:55):
they also became involved in the rigged poker games, helping
to organize games and taking a cut of the proceedings
and working.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
To enforce the collection of debts.
Speaker 8 (25:07):
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 CONSPI conspirators also committed acts of violence, including the
gunpoint robbery of a person in order to obtain a
(25:30):
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 wirefraud conspiracy. Other defendants have been charged with crimes
including illegal gambling, money laundering, hobzac, robbery, and extortions. This
(25:55):
case demonstrates our office's unrelenting commitment to the scourge of
organized crime in whatever form it takes.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
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,
(26:25):
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, or running illegal gambling rings.
This was obviously supporting, aiding, and abetting the mafia, and
that's one of the reasons why cash Betel made it
(26:46):
clear we're not stopping anytime soon.
Host
Ben Ferguson
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